A Series of Voyeuristic Events
by Facing Fear
Summary: The recruits of the 104'th Training Corps didn't actively seek out Eren Jaeger and Annie Leonhart's moonlit trysts - it just happened. Whether it's curiosity, a sense of duty, or just dumb luck, a streak of unfortunate circumstances reveal the company's worst-kept secret: that Annie and Eren were most definitely a thing, and that their passion for fighting translated well at night!
1. Chapter 1: Reiner's Mission

**Author's Notes:**

First foray into this fandom, here goes nothing. Please keep in mind that I've bumped their ages up to 17-ish to make the spiciness a little more acceptable (although nothing too explicit), and that ** **SPOILERS** ** are inevitable, so read at your own risk. This chapter is seen through Reiner's eyes so some events may come off odd for you readers, but will be elaborated in later chapters when the perspective changes (hopefully). As always, please enjoy, and constructive criticism is always welcome.

* * *

 _ **Reiner's Mission**_

The mission is priority.

Nothing else matters.

" _I'm here to save humanity."_

Everything they do is for the sake of that vow.

And Reiner meant every word.

The rain poured relentlessly on the recruits as they trudged through the mud. Shadis was currently atop his horse marking their endurance during the exercise, eyeing them critically and with open derision. Reiner soldiered on with relative ease, the Marley Warrior Program was much more grueling that he considered the current training to be child's play. Of course his natural strength and stamina also played a part.

He watched as Armin lagged and panted with exhaustion while the instructor berated the weak boy. Weak he may be, Reiner had to give him credit – he wasn't a quitter. Once Shadis moved to the head of the group and away from the smaller blonde, the warrior slowed his pace enough to meet up with the trooper.

"We're being graded on this," the muscled boy grunted as he took Armin's pack, "focus on keeping up."

"Thanks Reiner, but wouldn't you get in trouble?"

 _This much is nothing, as a warrior, I have to play being a soldier. This is exactly the type of comradery and teamwork that's expected of us._

"Only if they find out. Just make the cut and we'll call it even."

He advanced several paces ahead of Armin despite carrying twice the burden, when he suddenly felt one of his packs being wrenched off his shoulder.

"I'm no one's burden!" And with a strength that surprised Reiner (and Shadis), the diminutive blonde ran to the head of the formation with reckless abandon.

Shaking his head, the taller blonde increased his pace and caught up with Armin, pushing him with his right shoulder to offer support, _A soldier indeed…_

Reiner glanced quickly behind him to monitor his fellow warriors and saw Bertholt keeping pace. He continued scanning the group and eventually caught sight of Annie, who seemed to be running alongside Eren Jaeger. He probably imagined it, but he saw her give the hothead a challenging look before sprinting and leaving him behind.

Eren's groan of frustration was heard clearly over the torrential downpour.

X X X

With a shout Reiner Braun charged at Eren, wooden knife poised to strike in a stabbing motion. Despite knowing the exercise and what it entailed, the large boy was still surprised when he suddenly found himself flipped off the ground and tossed into the dirt very roughly. The wind was knocked out of him and his back gave a very painful throb, _How strong is this guy?!_

Eren helped him up, "Jeez, how can you toss around a big guy like me?" Reiner said with a grunt.

"Sorry, I'm not good at holding back."

 _That doesn't really answer my question_ , "You're pretty familiar with brawling aren't you?

The boy in question shrugged, "Back in the day there was a bunch of bullies that always picked on Armin, as his friend I'm obligated to kick their asses on his behalf."

Reiner admired that, although his back disagreed as it gave another painful throb, "Alright, my turn to throw your face in the dirt."

As Eren prepared to attack he voiced his doubts regarding the training, "What's the point of this anyway? First of all, we're supposed to be learning how to fight titans, not other people. Second, only an idiot would fight someone else unarmed."

"Hey, don't let the instructor hear you," the blonde glanced around nervously, "and you won't always have a weapon you know, what then?"

"You run away. In real life…" Eren's eyes gave a faraway look of reminiscence, "this hand-to-hand technique wouldn't really work, I know."

Reiner chose to ignore the last statement, "I get where you're coming from," he sympathized, "but as soldiers," – _I'm a warrior –_ "there will come a situation where retreat isn't an option. One day we'll be forced to fight with whatever we have; our bare hands, a cannon, the 3DMG, in order to protect something or someone. Because that's the responsibility of the strong. A soldier's responsibility…"

 _I've said too much, I'm a warrior. A WARRIOR!_

"Urgh, I'm being a preachy smartass, let's get back to training." Reiner took a stance to prepare for Eren's attack when he saw Annie within his periphery, _We're both warriors, it's our job to complete Marley's orders, and to do that, we need to blend in as soldiers._ Forming a plot to force the girl into integrating herself within the 104'th Trainees, he grabbed Eren and roped him in the plan.

 _They seemed to get along during that marching exercise in the rain_. The muscular blonde caught up and blocked the slacker as she snuck around the enclosure, "If Shadis sees you lazing about, he'll headbutt you and make you even shorter than you already are."

The murderous glare Annie Leonhart sent his way almost scared him off the plan. _Almost_. Grabbing Eren by the shoulders he placed the unsuspecting boy in front of him. Reiner knew the petite girl's close combat prowess – she was granted her titan powers because of it after all – but he felt that it was only fair considering the boy's inability to hold back.

A plan to solidify Annie's position as a soldier _and_ give Eren a taste of his own medicine? He deserved medals for this! "C'mon, let's get started."

The petite girl took a stance unrelated to the exercise which caused the oblivious attacker to question whether she'd succeed or not, but Reiner knew better, and all he could do was watch in anticipation. Within the blink of an eye Eren was on his knees, clutching his shin in pain.

"Can I go now?" Annie asked with annoyance.

 _That's barely any interaction, you're not doing a good job being a soldier_ , "Not yet! The drill is to get the knife and he's still holding it." She sighed and approached Eren with determined strides.

"Hey, wait!" Eren's panicked pleas was testament to the warrior's strength and intimidation, "Wait, Annie, there's a proper way to do th – GUH!"

With a sweeping kick the once aggressive boy was flung into the air and dropped to the ground, he landed in such a way that his legs were above his head. _Good, good,_ Reiner thought, _these two people that can't hold back should be able to bond over this and –_

He instinctively caught the wooden knife that was thrown his way, "Your turn." The two words from Annie Leonhart put the fear of death into the towering form of Reiner Braun.

He tried to mumble an excuse, a reason to be spared, when Eren sealed the nail on his (proverbial) coffin, "Do it, Reiner. It's your responsibility as a soldier to teach her, isn't it?" He spoke from his awkward position.

"You're right, there are situations where a soldier can't walk away." He gripped the wooden knife tightly, "This is one of them!"

And he was flipped in a similar fashion as his predecessor.

Reiner's head was spinning and his ears were ringing slightly, having landed on his head harder than anticipated. He watched Annie and Eren talk but couldn't make out the conversation in his delirious state, although it appeared that they were speaking very intently with each other – mission accomplished.

The pair eyed the rest of the recruits when the girl suddenly lunged at the surprised soldier with the wooden weapon, which Jaeger was able to hold at bay; proof of his aptitude in hand-to-hand combat. Applying a learned technique, Eren pulled and it looked as if he was about to win, until Annie reversed the roles and flipped him on his back once again. She straddled his torso quickly and pushed the wooden implement down his exposed throat, which the boy struggled against.

The bulky warrior fought to stand up, _That's excessive, I found you camouflage, don't go scaring him off!_

"I'm not stupid enough to derive amusement from playing soldier in this shitty world." She stood up and walked away from the defeated two.

"You're definitely not cut out to be a soldier." Reiner said to her retreating form as he nursed his sore head.

X X X

Dinner that night was an exciting affair as Eren and Jean looked very close to trading blows. Reiner continued eating but kept a close eye on the situation, prepared to stop them if it got too serious, _Fellow soldiers shouldn't be fighting each other after all_. Punches were about to be thrown when he noticed a glint in the hothead's eyes, before witnessing Annie's earlier technique in action. Eren didn't flip Jean excessively like she did earlier, but it was enough; the latter was silenced long enough to be lectured and humiliated in front of the entire group of recruits.

"Anyone care to explain what that loud noise was?" Keith Shadis' sudden and menacing entrance brought the room to a sudden hush. No one had an answer for the strict instructor.

Except for Mikasa that is, "That was just the sound of Sasha farting, sir."

Reiner nearly spat out his drink and everyone else struggled with trying not to laugh, "You again… Learn some self-restraint will you." And Shadis was gone as quickly as he came.

The din returned and laughter finally reigned free, the listless Mikasa appeased the slighted girl beside her with an offering of bread, which she gladly stuffed into her face. The muscular warrior returned to his meal, glad that the situation was defused successfully. Jean and Eren continued bickering, but he knew that no more violence would ensue for the rest of the night.

He noticed Annie step out of the mess hall and moved to follow her, when Eren beat him to the chase. _Heh, guess the boy's not easily scared…_

X X X

A few days later, Reiner watched with amusement as Jean applied himself to hand-to-hand combat training against Marco, knowing full well that he wants revenge for the humiliation Eren bestowed him. He was currently training with Bertholt while keeping an eye out for his fellow warrior, whom he hadn't really spoken with recently. Mildly surprised, he saw Annie standing alongside Eren having a seemingly polite conversation.

 _Good, with this, we've solidified our positions as soldiers_ , glancing at his friend, he noticed a look of suspicion in his eyes directed at Annie's companion. Reiner nudged the boy and beckoned him to continue their training as a distraction; he knew that the quiet warrior was infatuated with the petite blonde. Unfortunately, he also knew that Annie wasn't interested, but held on to hope on behalf of his taller friend.

He wasn't exactly sure what happened, but Bertholt's eyes widened with shock while staring at the pair, and felt compelled to observe what caused the reaction. But Reiner wouldn't be given any answers, because as soon as he turned around to look, all he saw was Eren being kicked in the legs and being flipped once again. Shrugging, he signaled for his partner to start.

Bertholt Hoover charged at him with the wooden knife.

X X X

It's been several months since Reiner enacted his plan and lately, it appeared that when one saw Eren Jaeger, Annie Leonhart was soon to follow and vice-versa. One day he was able to question her discretely after 3DMG practice.

"You know, you didn't have to agree to train with him."

Annie sighed in frustration, "First you want me to blend, now you're berating me for following through?"

"Just remember that we're warriors. Remember what the plan is."

The girl zipped away without a word.

Hours later, after they were dirty and sweaty from maneuvering all afternoon, Reiner and Bertholt saw Annie and Eren sitting on the fence conversing, although about what, they didn't know. They continued walking and paid them no mind, _She's doing a good job fitting in after all_.

X X X

He never meant to eavesdrop, Reiner just wanted to speak to Annie and suggest that she befriend more people and not get too close to Eren. However, in the end, he did exactly just that, hiding behind a large tree while the girl was speaking to the very person he wanted her to distance herself from.

"All I want to do is go back to my hometown." The blonde said in a forlorn voice.

Eren replied with such gentleness that Reiner wouldn't have believed who spoke if he didn't know better, "I'll help you with that, even if it's the last thing I do."

Annie chuckled, "Weren't you going to destroy all the titans? You'll probably get killed helping me out."

Now it was the boy's turn to chuckle, "I'll kill all the titans inside Wall Maria first, it's only logical, so that'll let you go back home, then the rest of the titans outside the walls."

"Logical," the normally quiet one _laughed_ , "sure, I'll hold you to that." Mirth was evident in her voice.

"You should." He replied with a whisper as he moved closer to the petite girl.

"Eren…"

And Reiner ran away as silently as he could, leaving the two to their own devices. _She's solidifying her position here, it's fine._

X X X

"They're too close." The tall warrior complained to Reiner.

"She's blending in, stop worrying."

Bertholt was currently carrying a large bundle of sticks while he himself carried a pail of water in each hand. Off in the distance they spied Annie and Eren sparring, although it was more along the lines of the boy getting knocked flat on his back and Annie straddling his bruised body. The recruits recently finished training for the day and tomorrow was a rest period, which meant they were free to do what they wanted: Bertholt and Reiner chose to prepare a hot bath for the group, while everyone else was lounging and relaxing.

Testament to his leadership skills, the muscled blonde was able to persuade everyone to gather broken basins (there were quite a lot scattered throughout the camp) and jury-rig a pool, so long as he took care of the filling and heating of water. Agreement was unanimous and Bertholt dutifully aided Reiner in his endeavor, although with the constant stream of complaints regarding Annie and Eren, the leader was slightly regretting roping him in.

"Where's Mikasa and Armin anyway?" The former griped, "Shouldn't they be hanging out with him?"

Reiner did his best to ignore the grumbling and continued the arduous task of filling the large makeshift pool with water. Grabbing the sticks from his friend, he threw them into the already burning pile underneath the water and tested the temperature, _Just a little bit more_.

"Look! His hand is practically between her breasts!" Bertholt growled.

This Reiner had to see, "I don't know if you're looking at the same thing as me, but Eren's currently trapped in an armbar. His elbow's so close to snapping that Annie's chest is definitely the last thing on his mind."

The boy's howl of pain was enough to appease the tall warrior's complaints.

The muscular blonde made his way to the dorms to announce that the water's good enough to swim in, causing everyone in the 104'th to cheer and sprint outside where the makeshift pool was. They all stripped down to their undergarments and hopped into the warm water, followed with a chorus of loud contentment. It also gave them a view of Annie and Eren's sparring session, with the latter getting soundly beaten and sporting a bloody nose.

"Oi, stop with the foreplay and come join us!" Connie shouted just as Sasha dunked his shaved head underwater.

The comment made Bertholt seethe and prompted Reiner to take action, "He's kidding, let's just enjoy swimming, alright?" With a nod the tall boy ignored Connie's comment.

With the pool warm and the swimming pleasant, everyone largely ignored the bloody pair except Reiner who was prepared to intercept his friend and divert him should things get too suggestive. Despite the self-imposed responsibility he was enjoying the entire affair, _Krista's just too damn cute, even with Ymir constantly blocking me from getting a good look at her_ , _it's not hard to see that she's perfect._

The adorable girl's momentary distraction was enough to make his vigilance slip that the next time he observed Annie and Eren, Reiner nearly had a heart attack. There, against the tree, the boy had the blonde pinned, her arms above her head, usually pale cheeks flushed – whether from exertion or otherwise he didn't have a clue – while his own face hovered a little too closely to hers.

Mikasa's growl shook him out of his bewilderment and he tackled Bertholt causing both of them to sink to the bottom. The sudden act caused pandemonium within the group and questions were being thrown left and right, while Connie flailed his arms comically. The duo surfaced with a splutter, "What was that about, Reiner?"

Looking back at the tree he saw that the sparring pair disappeared and was nowhere in sight, his tall friend gave him a look of confusion. Reiner gave a sigh of relief, although Armin was panicking, "No, Mikasa!" The minuscule boy was holding on to one of the black-haired girl's arms and appeared to be trying to hold her in place, but to no avail.

"I'll kill her." The girl said with barely concealed malice.

"You can't!" Armin was dragged with ease as Mikasa attempted to exit the pool, all the while Jean looked on dejectedly.

 _Guess they saw it too, I can't let her destroy Annie's cover_ , "You guys saw that huh?" He announced loudly, causing all eyes to point at him. The sudden attention made him nervous but the raging Mikasa suddenly stopped, which meant he couldn't ruin the opportunity. "Eren used his environment to get an attack on Annie, that was creative of him."

Armin stared at him with disbelief, while Bertholt looked disinterested at the idea of Eren getting one over the person he was infatuated with. Most present didn't see what transpired and brushed off the odd event, they chose to resume swimming.

"Eren is getting stronger, that's good." And the Ackerman sank back into the water, while the blonde gripping her arm merely stared at Reiner with incredulity.

"He probably just got lucky, Annie's very strong." Bertholt mumbled just loud enough for the two warriors to hear.

Reiner gave a noncommittal nod and thanked the Walls the lie worked.

X X X

It was late into the night and Reiner hasn't seen either Eren or his fellow warrior. Bertholt was currently asleep with his legs propped up against the wall; it made for an interesting sight. Unfortunately, he couldn't enjoy the oddity, currently suspicious regarding the whereabouts of Annie and her sparring partner.

 _Where the hell could they be? Has Eren discovered that Annie's a warrior? No no, Eren's practically in love with her, he wouldn't suspect her of anything! Maybe they beat each other up too much and they can't move?_

His thoughts became more and more paranoid and he could no longer just lay in bed. Reiner got up from his bunk, donned his boots and a light coat, and exited the dorms as quietly as possible. The night was dark and the moon offered no help, being merely a very small fraction of what it could be. But it was enough for him and he trudged along in the dark, heading towards the forest where the two were sparring earlier.

 _What if Annie told Eren everything? What if she couldn't take being a warrior anymore and defected?_

The muscular warrior broke into a cold sweat as his thoughts turned to exceedingly dire scenarios for himself and Bertholt. He nearly broke into a run until he saw firelight off in the distance, stopping him in his tracks.

 _Isn't that where we had our weird swimming pool this afternoon?_

Sneaking closer to the source of light, he could make out two figures swimming and heard hushed conversations between them. Reiner dropped into a crouch and found a nearby bush to hide behind, repeating his actions from those weeks ago. From where he was he saw a pile of clothes down to the undergarments, meaning they were completely naked in the pool.

The pair was also much too close for his comfort.

Sighs and wet kisses were very audible in the quiet night, punctuated with the odd dialogue and splashing water. And because of the bush's proximity, Reiner could also see everything in greater detail; the way they smiled gently towards one another, how they closed their eyes before each kiss, and how their foreheads never left each other's contact. Both had luminescent blushes as they savored the intimacy.

 _Fuck… what should I do?_

"Where should we do it?" Eren asked as he kissed Annie's exposed neck.

The girl moaned, "Here?"

"Nah, dirty water." He continued his ministrations, "My bunk?"

"We're not gonna have sex while surrounded by a dozen snoring boys." She nibbled on his ear.

"Your bunk?"

"Ymir's a light sleeper," she bit harder eliciting a groan from the boy, "she catches us and we'll owe her until death."

The couple continued their contemplation when the sound of a twig snapping put them on alert.

 _Shit, was that me? No, I haven't moved from this spot!_ Reiner was in a conundrum: should he stay and continue his observations to ensure that Annie didn't break cover, or should he leave before he gets discovered and be branded as a pervert?

"Just the sticks burning," Eren reasoned.

"Are you sure?"

"Nope." Their kisses increased in intensity and Reiner knew there and then that he should leave.

 _I'll trust her on this one, this is something I really DO NOT want to see._ The warrior dropped onto his stomach and proceeded to crawl back the way he came, _Still, her deception is more than sufficient, talk about dedication._ A loud moan from Annie interrupted Reiner's thoughts, prompting him to increase the pace.

As soldiers, there will come a situation where retreat isn't an option – thankfully this isn't one of them.

 _ **FINI**_

* * *

Who should catch them next?


	2. Chapter 2: Armin's Observation

**Author's Notes:**

Thanks for everyone who read the story! Whether you fave'd, followed, reviewed, or just plain lurkin', hope you're all enjoying it. This chapter is through Armin's eyes - no one requested him but he deserves some love. A little shoutout to **Euregatto's** awesome fic _Classroom Misconduct_ is found in this chapter; if you haven't read that, you must be living under a rock coz' she's an epic Annie x Eren shipper. So go read that first, then come back here - you won't regret it.

* * *

 _ **Armin's Observation**_

The instructor in front of the classroom continued to draw the schematics for the 3DMG, the scratching of chalk on blackboard the only audible sound as the 104'th recruits listened with rapt attention. Armin was no exception and he began drawing the pictures himself, hoping to absorb the knowledge by attacking both the tactile and visual aspects of learning.

 _All I have is this_ , he lamented, _I'm not strong like Mikasa, I'm not brave like Eren, all I have is my brain._

"Along with the trigger mechanisms are your blades," the teacher droned, "it takes quite a bit of skill to bring all these techniques together, so prepare yourselves."

The diminutive blonde bowed his head in defeat, _Of course it'll be difficult… can I actually do this?_

A pat on his shoulder shook him out of his melancholy, "Aren't you excited, Armin?" Eren said, "They're finally gonna be teaching us how to use the tools to kill the titans!"

"Quiet down, Jaeger," the boy's exuberance disrupted the class a bit, "Now keep in mind that there's a couple triggers and buttons on the handle…"

Armin gave his friend a smile before turning his attention back to the lecture, memorizing every single instruction they were told. He also took notes, _Reading it on paper makes it sound so simple, but pulling these off in practice is another endeavor entirely._ Ruffling his hair in frustration the blonde buried his head in his arms as anxiety overtook his rationale.

The panicked boy felt Mikasa's comforting grip on his right shoulder, while Eren gripped his left, "Hey, we got this Armin!"

"Jaeger!" The teacher shouted, "Second time today, you're lucky I'm not Shadis. Sit in the back over there, beside Leonhart."

The hothead stood up silently with a sheepish look, embarrassed at having been called out in front of everyone. Eren began walking while Armin's gaze followed him, and he watched as the boy sat down beside Annie Leonhart, who looked uninterested with her chin propped up on her hand. His friend greeted the aloof girl with a wide smile, which she returned with a raised eyebrow.

Testament to his confidence, Eren's smile didn't falter and the boy actually proceeded to _pat_ the quiet girl in the back, before turning his head back towards the front of the class. Armin looked on in abject horror as his friend's new seatmate stared at him with a menacing glare, the target of her fury oblivious to his impending doom.

 _I need to warn Eren, she's gonna kill him!_

"Arlert!" The booming shout startled everyone into attention, "Eyes front, I'm not done with the lesson."

The ensuing silence allowed the blonde to breathe a sigh of relief, _Guess Eren's fine if he's not screaming in pain right now_.

"This button ejects your blades, allowing you to replace them when dull. Now this button…" Armin took in the lesson with a keen mind.

X X X

For an entire week the recruits practiced with the maneuver gear throughout the forests of the training camp. They zipped and passed the thick trees with reckless abandon as they were propelled by the gas-powered 3DMG, while making sure that their cables didn't cross, lest the mistake be fatal. The purpose of the exercise was merely to get them comfortable and prevent vertigo during all the flight-like movement. It was basic that even Armin had an easy time with it as he swung from tree to tree.

 _I got this, it's simple enough to put into action, but…_ He watched as Eren flipped in midair and proceeded to change his trajectory with ease, _adept techniques like that won't come naturally to me. Maybe by examining him and Mikasa I can-_

The boy's thoughts were interrupted when the black-haired girl suddenly darted past him and began performing aerial acrobatics, seemingly going against the very rules of physics itself. Mikasa always had beyond-human physical capabilities, and after observing her triple axel flip complete with transitioning into an upside down maneuvering posture, Armin knew that her abilities were impossible for even the most skilled of people.

A flash of yellow caught his eye, following the blur revealed it to be Annie, and she looked quite comfortable with being hurtled through the air at breakneck speeds. She did it with poise and technique that was similar to Eren's, yet did not have the same level of absurdity as his female friend's actions.

"This is fun huh, Armin?" In his reverie the smaller boy didn't notice his best friend swing close by.

"Yeah…" He replied in uncertainty, before Eren smiled and rushed off with a loud _whoosh_ as the gas boosted his trajectory.

 _I got it, Eren and Annie are the perfect subjects to watch. They move quickly and can pull off techniques that are effective, but nowhere near as extravagant as Mikasa's._ Jean began looping around the slower recruits – Armin included – with a look of annoying smugness, and began an impromptu game of tag, knowing full well his advanced capabilities with the 3DMG. He acknowledged Kirschtein's skill with a nod but decided not to observe him, deciding on sticking with the two he picked.

 _Jean's an ass after all, wouldn't want to feed his ego._

The blonde pressed the boost trigger even harder and clenched his teeth as the speed became near unbearable.

X X X

Another week of gear training and Armin was slowly assimilating from Annie and Eren. The secret appeared to be a relaxed body and a clear mind; a tense body strained against the harnesses and affected movement negatively, while a clear mind allowed one to make better decisions mid-flight.

The small boy mentally patted himself in the back, _I won't be anywhere near their league, but at least this is enough to make the cut and graduate._ He suddenly felt a literal pat on his back and he turned around mid-swing, revealing the suspect to be Jean.

"Tag, you're it!" And he rocketed away, cackling madly.

"Oi!" Eren shouted at the retreating form, having seen the exchange, "Asshole! Tag me, Armin, I'll tackle him into a tree!"

The boy in question doubted the suggestion was a good idea and was about to voice his concerns when his angry friend slapped his hand. With a growl Eren charged ahead uncontrollably, unheeding his shouts of caution.

"Be careful!" Armin felt compelled to follow his best friend despite going at speeds he was nowhere near comfortable in. His fingers pressed on the triggers so hard that he felt the digits going numb, _Dammit, he's going so fast I'm surprised I can keep up, tunnel vision is starting to kick in too!_

And it was, suddenly realizing that his peripheral vision was gone and the only sight was Eren up ahead. Adrenaline rushed through the blonde's veins and the fear of death abated, only the objective mattered – he needed to catch up with his best friend! So intent was he that by the time he realized Connie was screaming for him to stop it was too late.

"WATCH OUT!"

Time moved slowly as he finally understood that Annie Leonhart's trajectory brought her right in front of his, and that with his uncontrollable speed coupled with her unawareness, they were going to crash into each other. It also goes without saying that with these velocities, the collision would be more than lethal.

 _I'm gonna fucking die!_ The last thing Armin would see is his fellow soon-to-be-dead trainee's surprised blue eyes.

That is, until the blue was replaced with green for a fraction of a second, before disappearing entirely.

"OOF!" The air was knocked out of Armin as he felt someone tackle him from the side. After regaining his wits, he realized someone swung him to a tree where they both landed on a thick branch. The blonde collapsed to his knees and began dry heaving, the adrenaline having worn off.

"Holy shit," It seems Connie was the one that helped him out, "You and Eren almost died back there."

"E-Eren? Y-You mean Annie?"

The nearly bald recruit shook his head and hoisted Armin on his feet, "Nah, pushed her down. Guess he heard me shouting. Look, here they come."

His best friend and the girl he nearly killed landed beside the two, there was a stunned silence before Eren spoke, "You OK Armin?" He responded with a shaky nod, "I owe you my life, Connie, thank you." He placed his hands on their savior's shoulders, green eyes boring into his.

Connie blushed at the scrutiny and scratched his cheek, "Oi, you're embarrassing me. Just make sure I don't get eaten by a titan and we'll call it even, alright?" And with that, he bolted off into the woods.

Armin turned to Annie, "I'm sorry I-" The murderous glare she sent his way was enough to make him wish that he'd actually died during the whole ordeal. She began walking towards him when Eren suddenly stepped in front, acting as a guard.

"No one got hurt and if they did, it would've been me. Leave Armin alone, alright?" He reasoned.

Annie's eyes softened as she looked at Eren, "Why did you do that?"

"Coz' you'd break Armin, and I'd rather not have him killed right after surviving a near death-"

"No," she interrupted, "why did you push me aside? You would have died."

His best friend looked uncomfortable at the line of questioning, looking left and right as though hoping that with enough silence, the inquiry would be forgotten. Armin decided to help him out, feeling indebted to Eren after all, "He's just like that. He's a suicidal blockhead that'd risk his own life to save others."

A quiet descended on the trio for varying reasons, but Armin's was due to his silent prayer that the answer was enough to appease Annie Leonhart and spare himself (and Eren) any violence. With a grunt, the intimidating blonde shot off into the trees and continued training, and the remaining two friends sighed with relief.

"Well then, no more stunts like that. Let's go, Armin!"

X X X

The scholarly Armin continued his examination of Annie and Eren, although it went beyond the 3DMG training sessions. He felt compelled to watch, as though it's his duty, his responsibility to watch over his best friend and the girl he risked his life for. As for the reason… perhaps it was morbid curiosity.

Indeed, the two were slowly spending more and more time together: they chatted when putting their gears away, they sometimes chose to peel potatoes side by side, and more recently, Eren ate with her during lunch (dinner was strictly reserved for him and Mikasa).

Armin found the whole thing interesting, having known Eren since their youth, he grew very accustomed to his best friend's single-mindedness. To think a quiet, seemingly anti-social girl of all people would cause him to eventually change his simple mentality was surprising.

"They're too close." Mikasa commented.

Although sounding listless to the casual observer, Armin knew that his friend was angry with the new development.

"They're sparring, c'mon, we should be too." _Of course she's mad, she's loved Eren since they were kids, Mikasa's downright possessive when it comes to him._

Seeing that the black-haired girl couldn't be swayed, Armin charged at her before being flipped with ease as her training and inhuman strength kicked in, "Sorry, you came out of nowhere, my body just moved on its own."

"It's fine," He grunted, "Shadis was watching and I didn't want us to get in trouble." She bought the lie.

 _Sorry Mikasa, but Eren just doesn't love you the way you want him to._ The girl helped him up and he smiled gratefully as he brushed off the dirt on his uniform, _I do wonder how she'll react when that truth comes out though? Not that Mikasa will accept it…_

X X X

"Jaeger, in the back."

They returned to the classroom to learn more combat and survival theory, which Armin happily accepted, exhausted from months of physical training. He took his seat and watched his friend head to the back beside the quiet Annie, accustomed to Eren's position there. After the initial 3DMG lesson where the two of them were separated, it appeared that the normally boisterous boy was kept in line by the fearsome girl, while he in turn forced her to participate in the lectures.

How the hotheaded youth managed that, Armin had yet to find out, but he was confident that with enough time, he'll find out. They were currently reviewing the 3DMG components once more because the next stage of training involved the actual use of blades, and Shadis didn't want anyone to get killed during the whole event.

Armin began to worry, _I almost got myself and Eren killed WITHOUT the blades, what the hell is gonna happen this time?_

His musings were interrupted by a very loud _moan_ coming from the back of the classroom.

A moan coming from one Annie Leonhart, whom his best friend was currently seated beside of.

Reflexively, everyone's eyes turned to stare at her and Armin noticed that she was quite red, while Eren was a perfect picture of innocence, paying rapt attention to the lesson.

"Miss Leonhart, are you feeling alright?"

"My stomach is killing me." _Weird, Eren would be offering to help her go to the infirmary by now._

"Do you need to be excused to the infirmary?"

Annie denied the offer and sat back down, citing that the cramps were abating. A momentary silence and the instructor resumed teaching, _I wonder what that was about._ Armin heard muttering in the back but paid it no mind as he focused on the lesson at hand, intent on absorbing every possible knowledge with the hopes that it would help.

X X X

"Water's ready!" Reiner announced.

Everyone in the 104'th cheered and ran outside towards the makeshift pool they all worked together to make.

"Let's go, Mikasa." Armin offered with a smile

His female friend scanned the room, "Where's Eren?"

"I think he was sparring with Annie." And her frown was enough to show what she thought of that, "He'll probably meet us there, I'm sure he'd want to soak after a hard training session." That seemed to appease Mikasa and they began the short trek to where the rest of the group was.

Stripping down to his undergarments, Armin gingerly entered the pool, sitting on the side that granted him full view of the fighting pair. Eren was sporting a bloody nose and they were both dirty and sweaty, _Jeez, those two don't know how to hold back_.

"Oi, stop with the foreplay and come join us!" Connie shouted just as Sasha dunked his shaved head underwater.

With mild trepidation the blonde quickly glanced at Mikasa to try and gauge her reaction at the comment, and breathed with relief as he realized that Jean was currently occupying her attention. All in all, the whole experience was quite fun and relaxing and the warmth of the water was pleasant. Armin resumed observing Annie and Eren, _What's he going to do? He's just walking up to her, he's not even guarding, Eren's gonna –_

What happened next barely registered in the blonde's mind as his best friend intertwined his fingers with the smaller girl's, before raising her arms above her head. Annie offered no resistance as Eren pinned her body against the nearby tree before kissing her soundly in the lips, they both appeared to enjoy the act and the boy pulled back, face hovering closely to hers.

"They're too close." Mikasa suddenly growled with malevolence; it appears that she no longer paid Jean any mind, _Did she see them kiss?!_

Fortunately, Reiner chose that exact moment to roughhouse with Bertholt, splashing water everywhere and causing everyone to devolve into chaos. However, Mikasa could not be dissuaded from her target and with a homicidal purpose, she began walking to where Eren and Annie were.

Armin was having none of that, "No, Mikasa!" He grabbed one of her arms and held on with his entire being but to no avail, _She's freakishly strong!_

"I'll kill her." The girl said with barely concealed malice.

"You can't!" He was dragged with ease as Mikasa attempted to exit the pool, all the while Jean looked on dejectedly. Taking a quick look, the blonde noticed that the people he was observing disappeared deeper into the woods.

"You guys saw that huh?" Reiner announced loudly causing all eyes to point at him; even the raging Mikasa suddenly stopped, giving Armin some reprieve. "Eren used his environment to get an attack on Annie, that was creative of him."

Armin stared at him with disbelief, _Are you fucking serious?!_ Most present didn't see what transpired and brushed off the odd event, they chose to resume swimming.

"Eren is getting stronger, that's good." And the Ackerman sank back into the water, while the blonde gripping her arm merely stared at the muscled boy with incredulity, _I guess no one saw them kiss? At the very least, I'm glad that worked, thanks Reiner._

Armin released his grip on Mikasa as he nearly cried tears of happiness.

X X X

 _Need to use the bathroom,_ Armin woke up later that night with a sense of urgency, his bladder nearing full capacity. He hurriedly donned a pair of boots and a light coat and quickly exited the dorm, taking a mental note that Eren had yet to return, evident from his empty and unruffled bunk. A quick jog brought him behind a tree a little ways off camp and he fumbled with his trousers before releasing, sighing with contentment.

Finishing his business, Armin headed back to the barracks when he suddenly caught a small light off in the distance. Curious, he began walking towards the source, realizing it was where they had the pool earlier.

 _Did the embers catch on fire? That's not good, Shadis will skin us all alive if it burns down the place._

In his drowsy state the blonde didn't realize that there were people using the makeshift pool until he was too close and even then, Armin continued walking, wondering who the perpetrators were. It wasn't until he heard the moans that he froze on his tracks.

"E-Eren," Instinctively, the shocked recruit dropped on his stomach to decrease his profile and clasped a hand over his mouth, trying to muffle his uncontrollable breathing.

"Where should we do it?" He heard his best friend ask, _They'll kill me if they find out I'm here!_

Armin's state of panic was making him dizzy and he ignored the banter between the couple in the pool, mind overclocked as various escape scenarios crossed his thoughts, as well as the consequences of being caught.

However, a smaller thought, a smaller voice, whispered in the back of his mind: _Isn't this part of observing them? That makes it acceptable, right?_

Armin shook his head and silently rose to a crouch, ignoring the voice and intent on leaving the pair alone. In his rush he accidentally stepped on a twig, the snap loud and intruding, the noise a stark contrast to the moonlit night's silence. The boy chose to keep retreating in the hopes that even if the sound did bring his presence into attention, he'd be long gone and invisible to Annie and Eren.

In short time he collapsed into his bunk as his heart hammered painfully against his chest; the blonde passed out immediately when it finally chose to calm down.

X X X

The 104'th recruits were currently training with the 3DMG with the blades again making the exercise much more dangerous, but it didn't matter to Armin as he deftly spun mid-flight and landed in the bushes. His observations of Eren and Annie paid off very well and he no longer struggled with the maneuver gear, even Shadis found his abilities acceptable! _I won't be a burden to any one, thanks to you two._

The pair he was silently thanking zoomed past him side by side deep in conversation, before landing gracefully together. Frowning, Armin approached them wondering why they halted their training, when he heard Annie speak.

"Let's go, there's a thick set of trees near the training entrance, no one will see us there." Eren nodded conspiratorially, glancing left and right in search of interlopers (how he missed Armin, the blonde had no idea), before the couple took off.

The smaller boy, now alone, merely shrugged and moved to follow them at a leisurely pace, intrigued as to what else he might be able to learn from them. It took a while to find them, seeing as they headed to an area specifically to be away from prying eyes, but Armin used the knowledge he gleaned from the overheard conversation to track the pair. He eventually came upon the area mentioned but Annie and Eren were nowhere in sight. However…

 _Is that their gear on the floor?_ And it was; two pairs of blade boxes as well as the 3DMGs themselves were scattered on the forest floor. _What's going on?_ Armin moved towards the discarded implements when he spied harnesses thrown haphazardly not too far from where the blades were. Near the harnesses were combat boots and jackets bearing the trainee insignia of two crossed blades, followed by a white hoodie and a simple white tunic.

Confusion growing with each passing second, the blonde followed the trail of clothing until he came upon the sight of said attire owners, clad in nothing but their undergarments and pants. Armin rushed behind a copse of trees and watched the event wide-eyed yet unsurprised, having been privy to their intimate swim weeks ago.

 _This is private, I shouldn't be seeing this…_ Despite the thought, the boy remained rooted to where he was and continued his voyeurism, the unfolding situation making his heart race and his body feel a little _too_ warm. The same voice from before spoke, but it wasn't as small, wasn't as meek as the previous time, and Armin was more than convinced by the suggestion.

 _This is observation, you're just researching, you never know when this might come in handy._

Annie straddled Eren underneath her as they kissed each other hungrily, passionately, moaning and grunting as rough caressing accompanied the spectacle. The girl fumbled clumsily with the drawstring of his best friend's trousers while they continued their violent lip contact. She continued the futile attempt for a few more seconds before she growled and broke off their kissing, straightening her back as she looked down on the boy.

"Help me with these pants, Jaeger. I wanna fuck _now_." It was an imperious command, said with such authority that Armin almost felt compelled to follow even though the order wasn't directed at him.

Eren chuckled before complying, "Yes, ma'am." With a single pull of two strings, both trousers loosened, which they eased out of while their tongues resumed a carnal dance. Their undergarments followed suit and the blonde hiding within the trees almost gasped at the bare sight before him.

 _This is research…_ He insisted.

Their kiss parted before Annie lowered herself onto Eren with an uncharacteristic whimper, while he grunted as she enveloped him, eyes boring into each other. The blonde girl began rocking her hips, a look of contentment etched on her features. His best friend moved to kiss her when Annie suddenly pushed him down, her arms resting on his chest, effectively pinning him.

"Annie…" The boy _whined_.

"Don't want my arms, uhn, to get tired." She retorted, a sadistic smile on her lips.

Their copulation increased in tempo and Annie's breathless grunts became more and more frequent, while Armin's own breathing matched Eren's frantic panting. The boy pinned underneath clenched his eyes in concentration as though he was in pain, but more likely making sure he didn't finish too soon. The blonde on top balled her hands into fists and her whole body was flush and pink, pleasure evident throughout her person.

 _This is research!_

Suddenly, a poorly muffled cough caused his head to stare at the general direction of the noise, and with bated breath he waited for the couple to react. Eren's eyes snapped open, "Did you hear that?"

"Just the wind," Annie snapped before she buried her head within the crook of his neck, "E-Eren, I'm-"

 _Educational observation_ , Armin insisted as he watched Annie Leonhart's body shake and spasm uncontrollably as she rode the wave of her orgasm, her moans muffled.

 _Learning through visual assimilation_ , he reasoned as Eren's arms wrapped around the girl's form during her tremors, a small smile on his face.

 _This is for the sake of humanity._

And that, Armin claimed as he walked away like a noiseless phantom, was a good a reason as any for viewing what just transpired between the two people who didn't know the meaning of restraint.

 _Knowledge is power after all._

 _ **FINI**_

* * *

Apologies for any grammatical errors or narrative redundancy, my only beta is my roommate, and she's busy with life.


	3. Chapter 3: Connie's Strolls

**Author's Notes:**

A couple guest reviewers asked some questions that I couldn't reply to via PM, so I'll answer them here. An _Office Shenanigans_ reference could show up here, wasn't planning on it initially but after you said that, I feel compelled to! As for having a chapter in Eren or Annie's POV, that's a 0% chance - the main thing about this story is that the narrative is from everyone _except_ the main pair in question. Doesn't mean I won't write an accompanying story in their perspective, but that's in the back burner. Well then, enough of that, on to Connie!

* * *

 _ **Connie's Strolls**_

The trees ruffled lazily as a light breeze passed through the forest, filling Connie Springer's heart with a sense of contentment. He's been training as part of the 104'th for quite a while now, and he sorely missed his family and friends back in Ragako Village, especially his siblings. The only way to alleviate the pang of homesickness was to spend time in the forest training grounds which was highly reminiscent of the forests near his own homestead.

"Watcha thinkin', Connie?" The taller girl walking beside him, Sasha Blaus, asked.

"Just missing my family is all, haven't seem 'em in a long time." He responded, "Wait, why are you here anyway?"

 _That's right, I just wanted to walk by myself, but then this girl comes out of nowhere and starts walking with me without saying anything._

"Whuh, is the forest yours? I can't be here?" The girl asked indignantly.

"No, course not!" The earth belonged to no man after all, his Ma and Pa always said, "You just surprised me."

"You want me to leave then?"

He scratched his cheek, a sign of discomfort, "Well, I was kinda hoping to do this by myself so…"

Sasha huffed and stomped away, "Fine, if I catch any rabbits, I ain't gonna share with you!"

Watching her retreating form Connie felt bad, the last thing he wanted was to antagonize the quirky girl he'd grown accustomed to, having bonded over their similar upbringing in small villages. _Ahh whatever, I'll just give her some of my food tonight during dinner_ , he continued walking and caught sight of Eren Jaeger eyeing the canopies above. Curious, he walked towards their group's hothead to ask what he was doing.

"Oh, hey Connie! I'm scouting the training ground for the 3DMG exercises tomorrow, it might come in handy." He explained.

"Would that even work? I mean, approaching the forest from different angles, different directions, it'll always change the course." The short recruit explained, "This might be one of those things where you just have to take it as it comes."

Eren's smile faltered but his eyes retained their determination, "Doesn't matter, if it might help tomorrow, if it might help me kill titans, then that's good enough."

Connie could admire that, "I'll leave you to it then." And he continued his hike, savoring the peacefulness around him.

 _I wonder how Sunny and Martin are doing. Hope they're not giving Ma a hard time, they're little demons sometimes but they're just kids. Man, I can't wait 'til I make it to the Military Police, get 'em deeper in the walls where it's safe. Pa wouldn't like not being able to hunt but it's for the best._

His musings were interrupted when he saw Annie Leonhart's terrifying form walking towards him, her strides powerful and determined. Connie froze like a deer as he stared into her angry blue eyes, accepting that the next breath he would take is the last, at the very least wondering what he's done that warranted the execution. _Death is not a hunter unbeknownst to its prey_ , his Pa's wisdom echoed.

"Where's Jaeger?"

The boy released a breath he didn't know he was holding, relief spreading to his extremities as he realized that he would live another day. "Back there." Springer supplied without hesitation.

Annie nodded her thanks and continued stomping through the forest, leaving Connie behind to contemplate his betrayal. _It was me or him, I didn't have a choice_ , with mild guilt the boy continued his stroll, trying to whistle through the complicated emotions. He got about as far as ten steps before he turned with a purpose and began jogging towards the possible scene of carnage, lamenting that his plans for a relaxing walk was anything but.

 _I should've lied! What kind of soldier am I, willing to sell out my fellow man?!_

The short boy turned a corner and realized he was too late; Eren was sprawled on the ground and Annie towered over him in his agonized state.

"The hell was that for?!" The prey complained.

"Who gave you permission to touch me in class? Don't get familiar." The hunter's voice was cold enough to freeze the earth many times over.

"Huh? You're attacking me coz' I gave you a pat on the back?" Connie was shocked at Eren's audacity to _stand up_ , brush himself off, and proceed to _look down_ on Leonhart. From where he stood the observer couldn't see Annie's face but if he had to hazard a guess, she probably looked ready to tear his throat out with her teeth.

"It's the principle. Don't touch me."

The boy placed his hands complacently in front of Annie, "Alright, sorry, I couldn't help it. It's just, you're so small it's adorable."

 _Are you fucking suicidal, Eren?!_ Connie looked on in abject horror at the scene before him and was more than ready to hold the blonde back, when her aggressive demeanor suddenly changed. Her shoulders relaxed and her head dipped downwards, indicating a _demure_ posture of all things, _I take it back, you're a genius!_

"W-What?" The comment caught the girl off guard.

"Yeah!" Eren's smile was blindingly bright, "Like Armin."

Annie Leonhart's roundhouse kick echoed throughout the forest, scattering birds and other animals to the winds, while the target lay in a crumbled heap, knocked out and oblivious to the world. Connie remained silent, not wanting to be on the receiving end of one of those strikes. He watched the blonde leave as she headed back to the camp, before dutifully walking towards his fellow soldier and hoisting him over his shoulder. Connie looked blankly ahead as he set off for the infirmary, Eren's weight not bothering him in the slightest.

 _I may have sent Annie your way, but you deserved that kick._

X X X

Despite being new with the 3DMG, Connie felt more than comfortable with the exhilarating pace and rocketed through the trees with familiarity. Sasha looked equally at home as she swung from tree to tree, her methods unorthodox yet extremely effective, and they smiled at each other. The girl was quite far, but with blinding speed he closed the distance between them in short time, before they matched pace.

"This forest has rabbits, deer, an' pheasant." She said, "Can't wait to hunt 'em and eat some meat!"

The short boy agreed, "That sounds good, but we can't hunt pheasant without buckshot."

"I'm good with a bow!" Sasha protested as she ducked under a branch.

"Ever hunt birds without buckshot? It's impossible." Connie spoke from personal experience, when his dad challenged him one day and he came home empty handed despite his best efforts. After that event his dad bestowed him his first gun, giving him a stern lesson that it wasn't a toy.

" _Connie," His dad spoke, "You gotta respect the tools of man, an' you gotta respect the forest; don't take more'n what you need to feed your family. Take care of the earth an' the earth takes care of you."_ He lost himself in the memory and he smiled with melancholy as he proceeded to maneuver alongside Sasha.

"What's going on there?" The girl beside him inquired with mild worry.

They heard Eren's indignant shouts at Jean as the latter zoomed away, before he and Armin chased after the annoying guy. Connie watched as the diminutive blonde raced at speeds most of the new recruits couldn't handle, and moved to follow him.

"He's gonna hurt himself trying to keep up with that bastard!"

Sasha nodded, "I'll stay low to try an' catch 'im if he falls." The brunette bounded and swung in wide arcs close to the forest floor, heading towards the blonde.

 _This guy's just like Martin when he tries to follow me in the woods, too reckless._ Connie was thankful for his speed as he neared Arlert in record time, dodging the forests' natural obstacles with ease. He kept shouting for Armin to stop or slow down, but he either refused to listen or couldn't hear him over the rush.

A flash of yellow in his periphery caught his attention, _Is that Annie?_ His mind reeled in panic as he realized the inevitable collision, "WATCH OUT!"

Time itself appeared to lag and allowed him to watch the events play out in slow motion; the foolish boy finally heard his warnings and struggled to break, Eren turned around and realized the situation, while Annie looked wide-eyed. _Eren won't reach Armin in time, plus he's coming at the wrong direction!_

With a swiftness that surprised even himself, Connie caught up with the thoughtless boy and tackled him mid-swing, knocking him off his initial trajectory. Tucking Armin under his arm, he looked back to see if the blonde girl was alright and noticed that she was replaced by a surprised Eren; Annie herself was much closer to the forest floor than he remembered.

Connie decided to land on a thick branch and set the small boy down, who collapsed to his knees and began dry heaving. He himself stared blankly into nothing as the shock wore off, astonished at the feat he pulled off, "Holy shit, you and Eren almost died back there."

"E-Eren? Y-You mean Annie?" Armin had a hard time getting the words out.

The nearly bald recruit shook his head and hoisted the blonde on his feet, "Nah, pushed her down." He deduced, "Guess he heard me shouting. Look, here they come."

The people in question landed beside the two, there was a stunned silence before Eren spoke, "You OK Armin?" who responded with a shaky nod, "I owe you my life, Connie, thank you." The hothead placed his hands on Connie's shoulders, green eyes boring into his.

 _Don't stare at me like that, it's uncomfortable._ He blushed at the scrutiny and scratched his cheek, "Oi, you're embarrassing me. Just make sure I don't get eaten by a titan and we'll call it even, alright?" Not knowing what else to do, he bolted off into the woods intent on meeting up with Sasha.

She was waiting on the ground looking up at them, a quizzical look on her face. Connie landed beside her and they began walking together, the close-call currently putting them off from using the 3DMG.

"That was amazin', Connie!" The brunette exclaimed, "You're a hero savin' 'em like that!" He blushed again but for a completely different reason.

The short boy scratched his cheek and looked away from the exuberant Sasha, _Gotta play it cool, don't wanna come off too cocky like Jean,_ "N-Nah, my body just moved on its own. If anything, Eren's the hero, did you see what happened?"

"He went back an' stepped on Annie's shoulders to push 'er down, wonder why? Don't matter, yer still the hero! C'mon, let's fly!" And with a cheer she launched into the air and into the canopies above.

 _Hear that, Pa? A girl called me a hero._

With an enthusiastic smile he followed Sasha Blaus.

X X X

The moon was large and imperious, illuminating the dark forest as Connie walked through the path with a sense of familiarity. After months of constant training and hiking through the woods, it's become his safe place, a comfortable area to spend time in when the pang of missing home got too much to bear. It was quite late so he was mildly surprised to hear a pair of voices coming from a secluded part of the trail; the boy headed towards them, wondering who it was.

"You ever think about anything else?" Connie heard Annie's voice speaking.

"No," Eren's voice replied, "I gotta keep thinking about the future, otherwise I'll drown in the past."

"Makes you single-minded and uninteresting."

The male chuckled, "To most people yeah, but it's more than that. What comes after is what I'm seeking. When I kill all the titans –" Annie scoffed, but Eren continued his dialogue with a tone of desperation, as though hoping she would understand, " _When_ I kill all the titans, we'll have the rest of the world to explore: flaming water, frozen earth, doesn't matter, we'll be FREE. We can't remain stagnant within these walls living in fear, that's not existence; it's servitude. It's not a life I wanna live."

Silence reigned and Connie felt awkward, having intruded in what was most definitely a private conversation between – what, exactly? He wondered if he could walk away without being discovered, when Eren spoke again, prompting him to stop and eavesdrop a bit more, his curiosity taking over.

"So Annie, what's your dream?"

A momentary silence followed the question, before the girl replied, "Why do you want to know?"

"We're friends, aren't we? And it's only fair, here I am telling you all this and you're being tight-lipped."

"It's not a secret that you want to kill all the titans, Jaeger." Annie said languidly.

"The friend part then."

"Oh? Is that what we are? Just friends?" The tone was teasing, "Like Armin?"

Connie almost laughed at the exchange as he remembered Eren getting knocked out for saying those exact words. He began to walk away until the boy opened his mouth again with a response that made him stop, "Yeah, Armin's my best friend."

The interloper sighed inwardly, _Yeah, she's gonna knock you out. Don't you know when a girl's flirting with you, Eren? I should carry him again like last time, can't leave him in the forest at night, he might get eaten._

"But you're more." The addendum made Connie smile.

"Is that so?" Annie replied.

"Yeah. Not really sure what goes after best friend to be honest, but you're definitely more."

Connie heard the shuffling of leaves in the distance and wrote it off as an animal wandering the night. He listened in on the conversation before him, wondering how the situation was going to play out and staying just in case Eren _did_ get knocked out again. So far, the boy already dodged a bullet, but just barely.

"Hmm. Care to explain?"

"Well…"

The shuffling leaves intensified and distracted Connie, suddenly aware that whatever was travelling through the bushes was definitely _not_ a forest critter. The movement was too erratic, too clumsy, too _human_ , and he quickly began walking back towards the barracks, afraid that Shadis or one of the instructors might have noticed one too many empty beds in the night. He might care for Eren because the suicidal bastard is genuinely a nice guy, but that didn't mean he was willing to jeopardize his chances of making the Military Police – his family is going deeper in the walls, and nothing would get in the way of that.

X X X

The 104'th recruits currently had the rest of the afternoon off after a particularly long lesson on survival theory, which Connie barely found informative, having camped with his father on several occasions. Most of the trainees chose to rest and relax in the dorms, while a handful decided to do some 3DMG exercises, hoping to increase their proficiency and raise their grades during the next test. He himself was currently walking the entirety of the camp leisurely, just enjoying the day.

He got around the training paddock and saw Annie and Eren sparring, the pair trying to out maneuver each other with feints, strikes, and grapples. The exchange was quite violent: one of the boy's eyes was swollen and he had a split lip, while the blonde had fresh bruise on her jaw. Connie couldn't help but watch with fascination as the two continued the fight; they really were passionate about it, he knew because hand to hand combat played no role in the grading scheme, yet they dedicated themselves to the practice.

Annie threw a roundhouse kick that the boy blocked with a raised leg, however the force behind the strike was so strong that it threw him off balance, knocking him into the ground. The girl pounced but Eren was prepared; he rebuffed her attempt at a full mount and knocked her back into a full guard instead, wrapping his legs around her back.

 _This looks… intimate,_ Connie thought as he saw the two grope each other, panting heavily at their exertions, _the corps hand to hand training is nowhere near this close and personal._

The couple's fight for dominance paused as exhaustion took them, green locked on blue as their eyes stared into one another, breathing erratic and rushed.

"I can," Eren gasped out, "stay here all day."

The blonde on top chose to reply with a hammer punch, but the defender caught it by grabbing her wrist. Eren pulled the limb above his head, causing Annie to jerk forward and smack her forehead on his cheek, while his free arm wrapped around her head, locking her in place. The two appeared to be in a stalemate, both unwilling to yield but also unable to strike.

"How about we call it a tie?" The boy reasoned.

"Your lip is bleeding." The girl commented, ignoring the suggestion.

"Usually what happens when it gets punched really hard."

"Sorry." The apology left both Eren and Connie confused – Annie never apologized, least of all to the boy under her. Confusion turned to amazement as she proceeded to give the area a tender kiss, prompting the green-eyed boy to loosen his hold on her. The blonde raised herself and looked at him as she traced his lips with her thumb.

"A-Annie…"

Quick as lightning, Leonhart leapt and straddled Eren's torso, bringing her into a full mounted position. Grabbing his wrist, she pinned them above his head and smiled down on him from her position of dominance, "I win, _Jaeger_."

Wide-eyed, Connie scratched his cheek and walked briskly away from the training paddock, hoping that the pair was too absorbed in their – fighting? flirting? – to notice that he saw the whole thing.

 _Time for a tactical retreat…_

X X X

The scene before him was too similar to the one weeks prior – Eren and Annie sparring, no holds barred and full contact – that his mouth moved faster than his brain.

"Oi, stop with the foreplay and come join us!" Without warning, Connie felt his head submerged underwater as a pair of hands pushed him down, causing him to instinctually panic at the lack of oxygen. Mercifully the hands that dunked him were also kind enough to pull him up immediately, and the boy spluttered as he coughed up water.

"Connie," Sasha whispered, her lips so close to his ear that he could feel her warm breath, "don't say that, _pleeeeaaase_ don't say that." The brunette sounded like she was begging with every fiber of her being.

They moved to the edge of the makeshift pool and the shorter boy faced Sasha with a frown, "What's that about?"

The girl in question glanced nervously left and right, and took an especially long peek at the sparring pair, before turning back to face him. "I saw 'em." She whispered, as though the words conveyed everything there is to know.

"Who?" Connie asked, confused.

"Annie an' Eren, I saw 'em."

 _I'm still confused,_ "Saw what?"

A pause, until Sasha decided to let the truth out, "They were h-havin' s-sex." And if that wasn't enough of a surprise, "I saw 'em… _an' they_ _saw_ _me_."

It was at that moment that Reiner tackled Bertholt and caused a large splash in the pool, but Connie paid them no mind. His mind reeled with panic, finally understanding the implications of his careless comment, his arms flailed uncontrollably as they decided what to do – hug Sasha, scratch his cheek, wave off the story with disbelief, or clutch his head. He settled with placing them on her shoulders as he looked the girl in the eyes.

"We play it off," He decided, "it was just me being an idiot and teasing them is all, that'll work."

The tall girl seemed to agree with his plan wholeheartedly, "Yes, best thing to do ain't it?"

Connie nodded, "Best start now, let's keep swimming and pretend it never happened."

And swim the pair did.

X X X

Another 3DMG training exercise with the blade attachments and Connie was starting to get bored, the forest offering nothing new and his proficiency with the gear at an all-time high. After swinging from tree to tree for a few hours, he decided to slack off and head back to the dorms, hoping to take a nap or write a letter home to his family. He landed gracefully and started walking towards the training ground entrance, when he decided that the trek was too long.

Having strolled through the forest countless times, he discovered a thick set of trees near the entrance that provided a nice little hiding place away from prying eyes. It provided a small bed of leaves that was comfortable enough to sleep on and Connie could say with joy that it was his own private spot.

Therefore, it was with unpleasant astonishment when he discovered that Annie and Eren had beaten him to the punch. _What the hell? Only me and Sasha knows about this place…_ The short boy moved closer towards the pair with the intention of kicking them out, _And they decided to SPAR in my spot of all places? The forest is big enough to –_

Connie froze mid-thought when he got close enough and realized that the couple was most certainly NOT sparring, "Don't want my arms, uhn, to get tired." Leonhart said, her voice breathless.

He gasped so suddenly that something got into his throat, prompting his body to cough. The boy covered his mouth and fought tooth and nail against the reflex but to no avail, giving a single violent cough that was poorly muffled by his hands. Connie Springer practically darted out of the training grounds, face burning at what he just witnessed, as his thoughts turned to Sasha Blaus.

 _How did they catch her when she saw them? What did they do when she saw them? How did she survive when she saw them? And why didn't I think of using my spot that way?_

X X X

"How come I didn't see you at training, Connie?" Marco asked during dinner that evening. Jean looked on as he ate, equally curious.

 _Because I caught Annie and Eren fucking_ , he wanted to say, "Bored with the 3DMG training, plus this session wasn't graded, thought I'd slack off."

"Sure you wanna be doing that? I'm about to surpass you in the rankings." Kirschtein drawled with annoying confidence.

The short recruit shrugged, "Don't care as long as I'm in the top ten, I can still join the Military Police." He pushed his tray away and turned to Sasha who was seated beside him, "Want my bread?"

Her happy smile was enough to make him blush and scratch his cheek, but her whisper practically turned him crimson, "Meet me in the supply shed after lights out."

The boy hoped that he wasn't grinning too obviously, giving away the implications to everyone present at the table. Thankfully everyone was absorbed in their own conversations and didn't give him a second thought, as the din and banter overtook the mess hall. _Lights out can't come any sooner._

Connie practically sprinted towards the shed as soon as the lights out command was given; trysts with Sasha were few and far in between, but they were oh so very pleasurable. Upon entering the wooden shack, he noticed that the taller girl was already there and she pounced before anything else could be said, her mouth ravaging his.

In their entangled state he was able to close the door shut, sit her on a table, remove both their trousers, and make her wet with a few well-placed strokes from his deft fingers. All in all, Connie Springer was great at multitasking and pleasing Sasha Blaus, it was evident from her moans and quivering knees that she more than agreed.

"C'mon, don't keep me waitin' too long." Her voice dripped with desire.

But before the boy could comply with her demands the shack door opened, revealing Annie Leonhart and Eren Jaeger deep in their own make-out session, walking into the shack lost in their own world.

Enough was enough, "Oi, occupied! Find somewhere else!" Connie wasn't even embarrassed, merely frustrated at the delay of his coupling with the girl he cherished.

The pair froze and stared bashfully at the two of them, unmoving and silent, before finally realizing the situation and walking out. Eren gave the short boy a nod of acknowledgement, then proceeded to leave and close the door to the supply shed. A few seconds passed and a small thud echoed from the outside, not unlike the noise of flesh hitting wood.

"What was that?" The girl asked.

"Probably just Annie taking her anger out on a barrel or something." He leaned down and kissed her soundly, which she returned enthusiastically. They continued for a minute and the sensual mood returned to the room.

The brunette disentangled their lips, "I kinda feel bad."

"Don't, they took my spot."

Sasha looked away bashfully, "A-About that – "

"Doesn't matter," Connie said as he slowly entered her, eliciting a groan of pleasure from the girl, "This is ours for the night – they can take a hike."

 _ **FINI**_

* * *

Recently joined the Attack on Titan Wiki discord group; come link up with us as we discuss everything AoT!


	4. Chapter 4: Jean's Revenge

**Author's Notes:**

Dialing back on the spiciness this chapter as we see things through Jean's eyes. Just a heads up, the next few chapters will be delayed due to personal events cutting into writing time (vacation, polar bear adventure, moving, new job contract, parties, etc). Thanks for all the reviews and reads, please enjoy the chapter!

* * *

 _ **Jean's Revenge**_

"Screw you!"

"Let go, my clothes will rip!

"Who cares about your clothes?! I'm so jealous!"

"What are you talking about?!"

Jean Kirschtein and Eren Jeager were currently causing a scene in the mess hall; after initially exchanging verbal insults and shouting, it appeared the two were about to come into blows.

 _This suicidal bastard doesn't realize how lucky he is!_

The former cocked his arm back, prepared to throw a haymaker at Jaeger's ungrateful face, when he suddenly felt his chin twisted and feet swept from beneath him. Jean felt weightless for just a fraction of a second before his back landed with a loud thud on the floor; his body throbbed painfully and he momentarily saw stars. With a pained groan, the downed boy sat up, "What the hell was that?!"

"That was a hand to hand technique I learned by going through a world of pain, while you were screwing around." Eren looked down on him, literally and figuratively, "You think taking the easy way out, doing as you please, is reality? And you dare call yourself a soldier?"

Jean felt knocked down a few pegs, _I'm just being realistic here!_ He wanted to say, but Shadis' appearance brought a sense of self-preservation more than the need to explain himself. The hothead and himself meekly sat back down to their respective seats, too afraid to even think of a lie for the instructor's question.

"Anyone care to explain what that loud noise was?"

Silence hung over the hall, until Mikasa came to their rescue, "That was just the sound of Sasha farting, sir."

The tense situation was easily diffused as the terrifying Shadis bought the lie, "You again… Learn some self-restraint will you." And he disappeared into the darkness outside.

The din returned and the recruits laughed at Sasha's expense, who was angry at being used as a scapegoat in such an undignified way. The black-haired girl muffled her protests by shoving bread into the brunette's mouth, who proceeded to gorge messily, drool and crumbs flying about. Eren and Jean ignored the spectacle and resumed their argument, minus the physical violence.

"It's ridiculous that the better your skills at killing titans are, the further you are from them – it's the reason why we're trapped in here like damn cattle."

Jean scoffed, "Ten people, TEN go to the Military Police, and apparently their decision to want to be safe, to want a better life, is the deciding factor as to whether we beat the titans who've oppressed us for as long as humanity can remember? Give me a break."

"I agree with you," _That's surprising_ , "but it's not just us ten. It's also the ten in the North, East, and West divisions, the ten before us, and the ten before them, and so on. Think about how much forty or more skilled soldiers can contribute to the Survey Corps! This system is good in that it rewards people based on merit, but it takes away those very people we need the most in the front."

The realist quietly drank as he agreed with Eren, though he'd never admit it, _The bastard has a point, but not everyone is suicidal like you. Most people, given the option, would rather just live comfortably and die than suffer for what appears to be a lost cause._ He moved to open his mouth when his conversational partner suddenly stood up and left, exiting the mess hall, leaving the group behind.

"Eren…" Mikasa moved to follow her adoptive brother but was stopped by Armin.

"Just give him some space." The blonde insisted, and she agreed reluctantly.

 _Damn you, Eren. Can't you see that Mikasa loves you and will practically do ANYTHING for your sake? I wish I was in your position._ Jean glanced furtively at the female and frowned at her look of concern, _You're too good for that suicidal bastard_.

"He's fine, Mikasa," The boisterous boy said, "You should stop wasting your time on him, he's one of those people that just does whatever he wants without considering others."

The girl gave him a hard look, "We're family, we look after each other." She stood up and left. Armin followed suit as well as Sasha and Connie, leaving him with Marco.

"You really need to stop fighting with Eren if you want Mikasa to like you more, Jean." The freckled boy advised.

"I just don't like him; it's idealistic, suicidal bastards like that who die first, taking everyone around them in the process."

His friend shook his head and picked up their trays, "It'll be lights out soon, let's go."

Jean moved to follow, _And the last thing I want is for that idiot to take Mikasa with him._

X X X

Marco Bott was helping him put the 3DMGs away one afternoon, when he spied Annie and Eren walking together, deep in conversation. Ever since his previous beatdown, Jean applied himself thoroughly in hand to hand combat with the hopes of returning the favour, but to no avail. His target just seemed to increase his repertoire of moves and techniques with each passing week, and the reason for that was right in front of him.

Smiling wickedly, he moved to antagonize Eren with a plan in mind, _Maybe if I can separate the two of them, she'll stop teaching that bastard moves and I can finally beat him._ Marco noticed his change in demeanour and sighed beside him, knowing full well what was to come.

"Jaeger, spending more time with Leonhart I see. Guess it's only fitting – her cold and frigid personality compliments your hotheadedness."

The boy frowned, "Huh? Did you hit your head during training today?"

 _No reaction eh? I'm just getting started!_ " _I_ didn't, but from what a heard, you almost got Armin and Annie here killed with your stupidity. Trying to chase after _me_ , the maneuver expert, of all things."

Eren growled and took a step forward with his hands balled into fists, _Good, do something stupid that'll make Annie distance herself from you_. To Jean's confusion, the blonde placed a hand on his shoulder instead of walking away, immediately calming the once mutinous boy. She then stepped forward and put herself between him and the target of his teasing.

Annie Leonhart wasn't glaring, but the simple stare her blue eyes directed into his brown ones brought terror into his heart nonetheless, "He saved me, actually; pushed me away so that he'd be the one to crash into Armin."

She said it with a sense of aloofness, but Jean could tell that the blonde was pleased about the whole thing, perhaps even proud. The instigator was left speechless, _Shit, that backfired. That's what I get for working with incomplete information._

"You did that, Eren?" Marco crowed, "That's amazing."

The boy brushed it off with a wave of his hand before turning to Annie, "C'mon, we're on dinner duty." The couple headed for the kitchens, leaving the two quiet after the exchange.

It was hours later when Jean and Marco found themselves seated in the mess hall with Mikasa and Armin, eating their dinner of stew and bread, as they discussed mundane subjects. The boy found himself staring discreetly at the black-haired girl, _Is it respect or infatuation that makes me feel this way about you? Maybe it's because I admire your strength? Doesn't matter, I want to do what I can for you_.

"Where's Eren?" The subject of his contemplation asked.

"He's on dinner duty with Annie," Armin supplied, "they were peeling potatoes last I saw them."

The girl frowned, "She's probably holding him back, he needs to have dinner with us"

"Just leave him be, Mikasa," _Eren this, Eren that, what the hell?_ "If Shadis sees you helping him, then both of you will just get in trouble. If he's hungry, he's in the kitchen of all places."

Marco nodded beside him, "Yeah, plus him and Annie seem to be getting along quite well."

That was definitely NOT the right thing to say as a small yet audible growl emanated from Eren's adopted sister, scaring everybody present. _You're strong in every way, but when it comes to that suicidal bastard, you get irrational, reckless…_

"Jeanie-boy's right you know," Connie's input ceased Mikasa's rumbling and all eyes snapped to him, "My Pa also used to say that a man does his best growing by his lonesome."

 _I don't really get it_ , "Is this some country bumpkin wisdom us city folk won't get?"

"Oi!"

"Don't be an ass, Jean," The retort came from _Armin_ of all people, "It means people grow up the most when they're not being coddled or constantly looked after." The diminutive blonde gave the girl beside him a hard look, "I know you two are family, but give Eren some space."

If Jean wasn't silent with shock, he would've missed Sasha's muttering, "Two of 'em flirtin' shamelessly back there, needs _all_ the space they can 'ave."

"You say something?" It piqued his interest, _Jaeger and Leonhart flirting?_

"N-No, don't mind me. So uhh, Mikasa, Armin has a point, my dad believes in the same thing, that's why I'm here with you guys."

With four people in agreement, the girl eventually capitulated and resumed her meal. Jean watched her wordlessly as another plan formulated in his mind, _I can use this! Mikasa has to see that Eren won't return her feelings, not in that way. When that happens, she'll be hurt…_ He paused, a pang of regret crossing his chest, _She'll be hurt, but she'll be all the more stronger for it. Mikasa will be free of her obsession with that ingrate, then maybe she'll look at me._

With curiosity, he asked Mikasa the biggest question of them all, "Why are you so obsessed with Eren anyway? I know his family adopted you, but that kind of gratitude only goes so far."

He felt Marco kick him from under the table as he whispered violently, "Too tactless!"

The normally listless girl gripped her red scarf and gave a smile of melancholy before answering, "He saved me, gave me a reason to keep living."

Connie gave a mirthless chuckle, "Seems to be a habit of his."

Jean nodded, "I can understand that, but after a certain point I'm sure he'd at least want you to stop hovering around him all the time. You can't be living for the sake of another person your whole life, otherwise you're not living, just serving." He paused, before continuing, "Mikasa, if you keep following that suicidal bastard, you'll eventually end up dead with him."

The table was silent following his tirade, knowing full well that it wasn't far from the truth. Even Armin's jaw was clenched tight, probably reminiscing the near-fatal 3DMG incident days prior.

The Ackerman stood up, "Then so be it." And she stepped out of the mess hall.

He sighed, _There's just no reasoning with her_.

X X X

Jean Kirschtein landed deftly on the forest ground despite hurtling at insane speeds, testament to his skill with the 3DMG. He was about to take flight again when he saw Annie and Eren sitting together under a tree, having an animated conversation. Wondering if he could discover something new for his plan to separate Jaeger from Mikasa, he remained out of sight while moving closer to eavesdrop.

"– kill all the titans inside Wall Maria first, it's only logical, so that'll let you go back home, then the rest of the titans outside the walls."

"Logical," The blonde _laughed_ , "sure, I'll hold you to that."

"You should." The boy whispered, and Jean swore he heard the two moving closer to each other.

"Eren…"

 _Is that Reiner?_ Jean wondered, as he saw a large, hulking blonde running away from the opposite side of his hiding spot.

"Wanna meet up later tonight?" The hothead asked.

"A moonlit tryst? Isn't that something you're supposed to be doing with that incestuous sister of yours?"

"You're funny," The voice was lacking mirth, "I just wanted to talk with you some more."

"Just talk?" Annie's voice was playful and the interloper reeled with surprise, "A secret meeting in the middle of the night so we could _just talk_?"

Jean heard Eren chuckle, "Yeah seems suspicious, but I'm serious. Before I met you, I hardly questioned the world around me, it's always been what's in front and blazing a path towards the future. You've opened my eyes, made me ask the hard questions… guess you helped me grow up."

 _And if your plan goes well, I'm sure Annie will be helping you "grow up" in more ways than one._ The intruder thought wickedly, before resuming his reconnaissance.

"Alright," the blonde replied listlessly, "I do enjoy spending time with you, away from this rabble."

"Hah! That mean side of yours is just too cute, you know?"

 _Too cute? Eren are you insane?_ Jean heard one of them stand up and brush themselves off.

"L-Let's go," Annie spoke up, "wouldn't want Shadis to catch us slacking off."

Despite being unable to see their faces, Jean swore he could hear the smile in Eren's voice, "Yes ma'am!"

 _Guess I know what I'm doing tonight…_

X X X

Several hours after the lights out command, Jean saw his target get up from his bunk, don a pair of boots and a light jacket, then head outside. He waited patiently for several minutes, making sure that Eren got far enough that he wouldn't notice himself being tailed. He was about to get up when he heard Connie sniffling, before the shaved headed recruit got up and followed suit, walking out into the night.

 _What the hell? Is he alright?_

Feeling inquisitive, Jean moved to wear his boots and leave when a cloaked figure appeared by the doorway. He immediately laid down and pretended to be asleep, heart hammering away at the close call. Another figure joined the one by the door and began speaking in barely-hushed whispers, revealing them to be Shadis and another instructor.

"Leonhart, Lenz, and that tall one, Ymir, missing from their bunks."

"Hmm, Jaeger and Springer are gone. These fucking apes can't keep it in their pants; check the supply sheds, bathrooms, showers, and the training paddock. Follow the forest trail but no need to be too thorough, they'll just scurry away. If you find them, bring them to me."

"Yes, sir." The instructor moved to leave but stopped to ask a question, "If we don't find them tonight, what's their punishment in the morning?"

The terrifying Shadis thought for a few moments before answering, "Hmm, nothing. If they're smart and skilled enough to hide from us, then they get to screw around like a bunch of rabbits." He turned around and walked away, but not before speaking loudly, as though to announce his threat to anyone listening, "But come tomorrow's training, I'll be putting them through hell and back."

 _I can't leave now after what he just said! What should I do?_ Jean was in a conundrum; multiple options lay before him and each had their own risks and rewards. Before he could decide, Marco from the bed across his stood up, wore his boots, and stepped out into the night. _Why's Marco leaving now of all things?_ _Does he have a thing with Krista or Ymir? … or Connie? No no, he's with potato girl I think._

He decided to stay in bed and sleep, afraid that with a total of six people out and about, a seventh might end up being a crack that broke the dam. The dam in this case being Shadis' supposed "leniency" at the recruits sneaking about at night. However, the nervousness at the others' predicament kept Jean up, as wild thoughts and possibilities ran rampant in his mind.

The first one to return was Connie, who silently returned to bed and fell asleep immediately. _Shit, should I head out and look for Marco? Did he get caught? Why did he leave in the first place?!_ The boy was spared from having to venture out in the night when the person in question returned. The torch outside momentarily lit up his friend's face, showing a look of embarrassment and pink cheeks, before he entered the barracks and was swallowed by the dark. Marco also went to bed and passed out.

 _Guess I'll ask him about it tomorrow._

The last to arrive was Eren, the first one to leave and the initial target of his planned excursion, but looking at the silhouettes by the door, he had not come back alone. The other figure was short, feminine, and Jean could not make out who it was, but if he had to hazard a guess it was probably Annie Leonhart. The boy's taller figure moved to kiss the shorter one on the lips, before suddenly changing course and kissing her forehead instead. The girl smacked him on the arm before _she_ made the move to touch their lips to one another, and then proceeded to walk away in the direction of the girls' barracks.

Nervousness finally abating, relieved at the prospect of his fellow recruits having avoided detection, Jean dozed of very quickly to prepare for whatever Shadis had in store.

X X X

Groaning as he submerged his body in warm water, Jean couldn't help but feel grateful at Reiner's great idea of erecting a makeshift pool. Challenging Eren to a fist fight a few days ago resulted in absolute defeat, and his bruised body welcomed the soothing sensation – even if his equally bruised ego did not. Watching Annie and Eren sparring in the distance only cemented the fact that the boy was a damn good fighter, even if he stubbornly refused to accept it.

Marco cringed as he surveyed his friend's battered body, "Jean, I really think you should quit while you're ahead, you're never going to beat Eren."

"How am I ahead?!"

Mikasa chose to answer the question, "You haven't been damaged permanently."

"Are you sure about that, Mikasa?" Ymir's sudden appearance startled him out of staring at the black-haired girl's ridiculous musculature, "He keeps choosing to fight knowing he'll lose, gotta be some brain damage there eh?"

Krista berated her, "Ymir, don't be mean!"

Connie shouted something incoherent, prompting Sasha to dunk his nearly bald head underwater. The group ignored the event and continued their discussion.

"She's right," Jean admitted, "not the brain damage part! Just… I want to beat him, at least once, show him I can."

"It's futile." Mikasa told him.

The boy smiled at the irony, _Just like your hopes that Eren will love you back? Or my desire to see you break away from him? Why does this bastard revolve around our exercises in futility?_

Krista graced him with a smile, "I really don't like it when you guys fight, can't you just get along?" His freckled friend nodded in agreement while the taller Ymir proceeded to embrace Krista.

"So precious! You're too good for these brutes, you should marry me when we graduate."

Jean eyed the fighting couple in the distance and witnessed their kissing, "Yeah, I'll give up on fighting Eren, Mikasa's right; it's futile." He stared intensely into the girl's black eyes, who gazed back with equal ferocity, "So you should give up on trying to get Eren to love you, it's also futile."

He nodded towards the pair's direction, motioning for everyone present to look, and Mikasa turned her body to get a view.

"They're too close." She growled, _Missed the kiss, damn._

Reiner and Bertholt decided to roughhouse at that moment, splashing water everywhere and causing a panic as Krista's bra almost slipped off.

"Knock it off!" Ymir shouted at the two boys, who most likely did not hear her seeing as they were underwater.

The petite blonde huddled her body to shield the small amount of exposed flesh, not that it mattered – Marco looked away courteously, Armin was busy with Mikasa, and Jean himself was looking at the angry girl with disappointment. As arguments exploded around him, the boy lost himself in his thoughts, not the least bit curious why the scholarly blonde was being dragged by the muscled girl.

 _If Mikasa caught that kiss, would she have accepted that Eren's with Annie? Would she have chosen to stop living for his sake and choose her own life?_ He already knew the answer unfortunately, _Who am I kidding? She'd deny it whole-heartedly, say it was a headbutt gone wrong or something. No, the only way to go is…_

Jean smiled sadly before exiting the pool, his resolve unwavering.

X X X

Jean Kirschtein felt quite lucky when he overheard a private conversation between Annie and Eren. The pair was hiding behind the equipment storage area while he himself was inside, having just finished their 3DMG training. This time it was the blonde asking the hothead to meet her during the night, in the supply shed of all places.

"It's only fair," She said, "You got distracted and missed out earlier after all."

"Someone was watching us, I swear."

"We're top ranked and private liaisons aren't explicitly forbidden, we'll be fine."

Her partner sounded bashful, "I'm not worried about that, I just don't want anyone else other than myself seeing you… like that."

The girl's tone was teasing, "Jealous, Jaeger?"

The eavesdropper (it was becoming a terrible habit) left the area and kept walking, not intent on witnessing any more flirtation between the couple. _Got what I need, now I just have to get Mikasa to see them doing the deed._

Later that night, Jean wasted no time and departed from his bunk only a few minutes after Eren did. His plan consisted of trailing the boy to the supply shed, confirming that the couple was in an incriminating position, sneaking into the female barracks, waking Mikasa up, dragging her to the shed, getting her to see reality, and letting the dice roll. It wasn't complicated, but rather contained too many steps where things can go wrong, but the boy liked his odds.

 _They'll be in the shed having sex for sure, that's a guarantee. It's not hard to sneak into the girls' barracks, and Mikasa sleeps close by the door. Might have a hard time convincing her to follow me, but if I tell her Eren's with Annie this late at night, she'll jump in. She involves herself into anything related to that bastard after all._

The mastermind crouched behind a building when he noticed Annie's form meeting up with his target, anticipation building up. The two disappeared from view behind the shed and he resumed walking. _When Mikasa sees them, even she can't deny the truth. Then… she'll be free of her self-imposed servitude and can finally be her own person. Someone even more admirable, stronger, and –_

Jean froze and stared when the very pair he intended to expose turned the corner.

And they stared back at him.

In his panicked state, his mouth moved faster than his brain, "Shouldn't you two be fucking in there?"

The last thing he could remember seeing was a pair of blue eyes wide with shock, and a pair of green dark with fury. What stood out the most about the memory however, was the sickening thudding sound his head made as it collided against something wooden, before everything turned black.

X X X

Jean could barely open his eyes.

The painful throbbing in his head made existence difficult; he just wanted to sleep and ignore everything, although death didn't sound too bad a prospect at the moment. The noises of people speaking also made slumber difficult to come by, especially when he caught words and the mention of his name.

"… Kirschtein… concussion… brought in… recovering…"

"… ask him… wakes up… idiots…"

Consciousness was getting too difficult and he eventually passed out.

X X X

"You awake, Jeanie-boy?"

He was roused into wakefulness by someone pinching his nose. Slapping the hand away, Jean's eye shot open and recoiled at the brightness of the world, while his head gave a dull throb.

"W-What the hell?"

"Ymir, don't do that." A voice chastised.

Awareness and his senses returning, the patient glanced at his unexpected visitors, "What are you two doing here?"

"Is that any way to thank your saviour?" Ymir asked condescendingly as she stood above him.

"Give him a break," Krista said, "he got knocked out last night, he's still healing. How are you feeling, Jean?"

He sat up with a pained groan, "Like shit. What happened?"

"The doctor said you got a concussion and need to stay in bed for the day. Try to avoid hitting your head or having a repeat of whatever happened." The small girl supplied.

"Wasn't I outside?"

"Saw you bleeding on the side of the supply shed last night, head cracked open, and I – in all my benevolence – decided to carry you to the infirmary."

"Well thanks. Guess I owe you."

"That you do! I'll be cashing it in some time in the near future, so keep an eye out. Anyways, just wanted to establish who exactly you'll be paying back for saving your ass. Feel better Jeanie-boy!" And the tall girl proceeded to slap his shoulder harder than necessary, before exiting the infirmary with the petite blonde in tow.

Memories slowly returning, he couldn't help but be angry at himself for the grave mistake he made – it was all perfectly preventable too! Even his initial anger at Eren's reaction abated quickly, knowing full well that he _did_ deserve it. The sound of footsteps made him look up and he saw Mikasa, Marco, and Armin coming to visit; the freckled boy was carrying a tray of food.

"Jean, glad to see you're awake this time!" His friend exclaimed, "Here's an early dinner since you didn't have breakfast or lunch, you must be hungry."

As if on cue, his hunger kicked in and he eagerly reached for the bread and water, eating and drinking alternately.

"What happened to you?" The blonde inquired, "People are saying Ymir saw you bleeding on the side of the shed, did someone attack you?"

"It was –" The boy stopped midsentence, before looking at Mikasa, "I tripped, heading to the bathroom."

It was very obvious that no one bought the lie, but they respected his decision to keep a secret and asked no further about it. The four talked about the day, the training, what the patient missed while unconscious, and generally just had a pleasant conversation. The doctor informed Jean that he was to stay overnight for observation, before being released back into training the next day.

The three visitors left for the mess hall and bade the boy a rapid recovery, while the black-haired girl gave his shoulder a squeeze.

 _You can hate me, despise me, ignore me – I don't care,_ Jean declared as he watched Mikasa's retreating form. _I just want you to be free from Eren, even if you don't consider your obsessive attachment to him as bondage._

 _This I swear._

 _ **FINI**_

* * *

Don't hate on Jean, he means very well.


	5. Chapter 5: Sasha's Appetite

**Author's Notes:**

Gotta say, this chapter is the most explicit and was also the hardest to write, so criticism would be very welcome. Going to be very busy beginning tomorrow until the New Year, so as of now the story will be on a slight hiatus. Also, more than a few people have expressed an interest in seeing things from Eren's perspective and I will be writing that, however it will be uploaded under a different story so keep an eye out. Anyways, thanks for reading, please enjoy, and drop a review if you want!

* * *

 _ **Sasha's Appetite**_

Sasha Blaus knew that her insatiable hunger for food would get her in deep _deep_ trouble one day. It was just a matter of time when her impulses would result in irreparable damage to herself and those around her; according to her father. It's why she ended up with the 104'th Trainee Corps in the first place – to prove him wrong and integrate amongst people other than the ones in the village.

And so here she was running laps, like a mad deer in heat, as per orders of Keith Shadis.

 _It's not like ONE piece of bread is goin' to make a big difference!_

The brunette panted as she neared the last lap, thoughts of food and water the only thing getting her through the grueling exercise.

"You got it, Sasha, you're almost there!" Connie shouted from the sidelines waving her on.

With a final grunt, she jumped to cross the threshold and collapsed in a heap, breathing heavily. Their terrifying instructor appeared out of nowhere and looked down on her with a look of disgust, before giving the short boy a small nod then walking away. Being granted permission, he proceeded to give the half-dead girl a filled waterskin who drank the entire thing in short time.

"Ease up there, don't wanna throw it all back up." It was Eren with a couple loaves of bread, "Here."

The boy threw the buns and Sasha caught one deftly with her mouth while the other she caught with her hands.

"FMMNKF!" Her reply was muffled by the roll.

"I'm gonna assume you said thanks, so you're welcome. Connie will help you to the mess hall, I'll see you guys around."

"Where you headed, Eren?" Connie asked.

"Annie's teaching me how to fight; she said the move I used on Jean last night was so bad that she felt personally insulted."

The shorter boy frowned, "Just remember, I won't be there to carry you when you get knocked out."

He replied with a nonchalant wave of his hand, "Yeah don't remind me, I still owe you for that." And he jogged out of sight.

Having consumed both pieces of bread, Sasha immediately felt a crash in energy and would've fallen had the shorter recruit not caught her. "Thanks Connie, yer the best."

The pair proceeded to hobble their way to the mess hall, where the rest of the recruits were spending time relaxing as they waited for dinner. They joined Armin and Mikasa at their table and they began discussing the theory behind the 3DMG, hoping it would help with the practical aspect in the coming weeks.

The exhausted girl decided to drown it all out and tackle that problem when the time came.

X X X

Sasha had a repertoire of areas to sneak into for extra food – the ration storage, kitchen, and the infirmary. She once snuck in the officers' quarters and was nearly skinned alive by Shadis for trespassing; she just couldn't help herself when pieces of smoked meat and jerkies were sitting unattended on his desk. Every so often she'd try her luck in the forest hunting and foraging, which Connie helped her with when he decided to slack off in training: which was often.

Tonight she decided to try her luck in the store room, having been successful during the previous raids with a haul of carrots and potatoes. This time however, it seems a couple people beat her to the punch as conversation could be heard from behind the door she currently stood in front of. The girl decided to listen in and try to see if the initial intruders would be willing to let her plundering slide.

"What are we looking for again?" Eren's voice came from inside the shed.

"Some kind of fabric," Annie's replied, "something to wrap your hands and keep it compressed so your knuckles don't break against each other."

Sasha could honestly say that the blonde spoke more words within the last few seconds than she'd ever heard her speak the whole time they've been recruits.

"Would this work?"

A few moments of silence followed the question, and the girl outside debated whether to enter or not. _Annie'd be fine, but Eren mightn't be in the persuasion of lettin' me take food… Should I wait 'til they leave or go in all confident like?_ Deciding with the latter, the brunette opened the door with as much confidence as she could muster (which meant opening it normally), before catching sight of the pair in very close proximity.

The boy's hand was currently engulfed by the blonde's, her fingers moving deftly as they twined and rolled a cloth to wrap the offered appendage. Sasha noticed that Eren was watching the whole process eagerly, his mouth forming a small smile and eyes sparkling with fascination. Annie meanwhile was looking at the boy's face with a look of interest, an inquisitive frown adorning her brow, as her hands continued wrapping with a learned memory.

"This feels great, Annie, real tight!" He looked up to face her, smile blindingly bright and happy. The shorter girl matched his gaze until she turned away, cheeks slightly pink, with a smile so small it might as well not be present.

Sasha's presence eventually caught her attention, "Blaus?" The voice was listless, the brunette could tell her name was voiced as a question.

"Hello there, don't mind me, just checking our food stores."

"You mean stealing food?" Jaeger's voice was disapproving and he gave her a small grimace.

"A-Ain't you stealin'–" The girl under questioning closed her mouth instantly, _Gotta hide my accent, these city folk look down on us small village folk._ "Aren't you stealing too?"

"It's just cloth." He justified.

"Cloth they can use again as bandages, or bags, or to fix torn clothes." Sasha's counterargument hit home as the boy closed his mouth and looked away in shame.

"Listen, Blaus." Annie's blue eyes pierced into her brown ones, "You let us go, and we let you go – fair?"

The hothead looked ready to argue, but the blonde's hand gave his shoulders a squeeze, prompting him to back off and nod his agreement. And so she stood there, rooted on the spot as the pair stared at her, while they waited for her response. With a brisk nod, the plunderer entered the shed and began rooting through the food supplies, while the pair walked on, intent on heading towards the training paddock.

 _I'm hopin' this deal ain't a one-time thing…_

X X X

Sasha Blaus decided to test a theory that raiding the kitchens just before dinner would yield the most haul, due to recruits miscalculating portions when rationing food. She believed that when they're counting the servings, people tend to err in the side of 'having a little extra' as opposed to 'shorting an already hungry trainee'.

And she wanted that little extra.

Peeking through the ajar kitchen door as furtively as possible, the brunette almost groaned when she discovered that Eren and Annie were on dinner duty. Testing her theory almost seemed impossible with those two around – but Sasha was no quitter! Noticing that the pair had their backs to the door as they peeled potatoes over a wash basin, the would-be thief pushed the door ever so slightly and squeezed her body through the narrow space.

 _Alright, there're carrots, bread, and parsnips. Potatoes are risky; too close to 'em an' all… Guess that's all I can grab, still, better'n nothin'!_ The interloper tiptoed her way to the food pile when the boy's voice suddenly cut through the silence and cared her stiff.

"You're pretty bad at this, huh?" _Did 'e see me?!_

"Shut up, Jaeger." Sasha's body relaxed with relief, realizing that the conversation was between the pair behind her. She turned around slowly and kept an eye on the potato peelers as they continued the chore, intent on grabbing food once the opportunity presented itself. The girl noticed that Annie had a finger in her mouth, probably nursing a wound.

"That's the third time you cut yourself, lemme show you a better way."

"I can do it." A hint of stubbornness entered the girl's tone.

"Didn't say you couldn't, just that there's a better technique to it." The boy moved his stool closer to the blonde's, close enough that they were shoulder to shoulder, personal space thoroughly invaded.

 _Shit, Annie ain't too fond of getting' touched, if she knocks Eren out, dinner'll take too long!_

But the anticipated strike never came, and the boy dutifully demonstrated his skillful potato peeling abilities to the attentive blonde.

"You're actually good at this." The mild surprise in Annie's voice was evident.

"My mom… She always got me to help her cook." His voice had a tone of melancholy.

"I'm sure she's proud that your skills are making a big contribution to the corps."

"Hey now, if it wasn't for me, you'd still be cutting your pretty hands." The melancholy was replaced by mild humour as the sarcastic comment _cheered_ Eren up.

"My bloody hands you mean?"

" _Pretty_." He insisted, "Here, I'll guide you."

Sasha ducked swiftly under a table of vegetables when the boy stood up with a groan, having realized that she would have been in his line of sight and discovered. The brunette peeked from her hiding spot and watched the taller Eren move behind Annie, crouch low, then proceed to snake his arms around her figure and grab her hands.

"What are you doing?" The blonde's tone was cold, a sign of both discomfort and anger.

The question was answered as the teacher mimicked the peeling movement using the girl's hands, "The trick is to peel _away_ from you, and try to make a continuous motion. Don't stab at it like you were doing."

The voice was gentle, instructional, and so unlike Eren's usual boisterous one that the interloper was surprised. However, surprise gave way to shock when Sasha spied Annie's reaction to the whole thing; the girl's blushing cheeks and red ears contrasted greatly with her pale skin.

 _Does she… does she like 'im? Explains why she ain't killed 'im yet._

"J-Jaeger," She turned her head ever so slowly to face the boy behind her, "Aren't you too close?" She whispered, the sound of her voice was soft and also quite unlike her usual listless one.

Green stared at blue as they maintained eye contact, and the brunette seized the opportunity to grab a loaf of bread and a stick of carrot, knowing that she was short on time and couldn't haul any more. Sasha began to tiptoe towards the exit when a glint of silver suddenly flashed by her line of sight, before a knife embedded itself on the wall where her head would have been.

"Blaus." Gone was the soft voice, replaced by the usual cold tone.

Failing her mission, the discovered thief slowly turned her head towards her captors, noticing that the two were farther apart than last she saw. Annie's stance suggested that she had flung her knife, while Eren held a stool in front of him as a makeshift shield.

"What the hell are you doing here, Sasha?"

She slowly raised her hands in defeat brandishing the stolen food, a scared smile making its way on her face, "I j-just wanted some e-extra food."

Dropping the stool on its legs, the boy made his was towards her and moved to grab what she had taken, scowling all the while, "We counted the rationing properly, if you take all that someone's gonna go hungry."

A plan formulated in the brunette's mind as she looked at Annie in the eyes, "L-Leonhart, let's make a deal."

"Huh?" Her previously murderous eyes took a confused look, "What are you on about?"

Sasha gulped nervously as she threw the dice, "You guys l-let me go, and I won't tell anyone what you two w-were doing back here."

Quick as lightning, the blonde closed the distance between them and pinned her by the throat with her forearm, "And what exactly were we doing?" She whispered with such casualness that it only worked to scare the brunette _more_.

"We were just peeling potatoes," Eren said as he placed a hand on Annie's shoulder, causing her to ease up on the pinned girl. "Put that stuff back Sasha, again, everything's rationed properly."

Accepting defeat, she moved to return her pilfered items, the lingering fear from the blonde's intentionally casual threat starting to abate. _Guess I din't 'ave a leg to stand on anyway, but worth a try._ Turning around to head for the exit, the brunette found her path blocked by the shorter girl, who went and retrieved her knife on the wall.

"Blaus," Blue eyes glared into brown, "nothing happened here."

If Sasha already wasn't convinced, the current image of Annie Leonhart holding a sharp knife as she glared at her sealed the deal. Nodding insistently, the thief walked briskly past the girl and headed out the door, but not before taking a last glance at the pair behind her. They resumed peeling the root vegetables and appeared to be chatting the whole time; she caught snippets of their conversation.

"You could've killed Sasha you know."

"If I wanted her dead, she'd be dead."

"You'd end up cutting off your own fingers first though."

The sound of Annie giggling cut off as the brunette shut the door behind her.

X X X

The 104'th recruits currently had the rest of the afternoon off after a particularly long lesson on survival theory, which Sasha found barely informative, having lived a hunter's life with her father. Most of the trainees chose to rest and relax in the dorms, while a handful decided to do some 3DMG exercises, hoping to increase their proficiency and raise their grades during the next test. She herself was currently sneaking in the infirmary, hoping to find ration bars they usually kept in reserve.

She rummaged through the cupboards and medical cabinets leisurely, knowing that the infirmary usually remained empty unless someone got hurt. And so, it was with great surprise when she heard voices heading towards the building. Panicking, Sasha searched frantically for a good hiding place, _Inside the cupboards? No space! Behind the door? Too obvious! Under the bed? Aye!_ Time running out, she dove silently under one of the beds furthest from the infirmary entrance and lay on her stomach. It was very low and cramped, but with her lithe form she fit well enough while it provided a decent hiding place.

"Isn't it a bit risky here?" She heard Eren's voice. _Well, if that's Eren, it's gotta be Annie with 'im._

Proving her point, the person who replied was exactly who she guessed, "This place is usually empty unless someone gets hurt. We'll use that bed other there and draw the curtains, that way we'll have time to separate before someone sees us."

"And what's our reason for being here in the first place?"

"The beating I gave you wasn't enough, Jaeger?" The blonde's voice took a playful tone to it.

"Hey, I would've won! You distracted me with your… sexiness."

Sasha's breath stopped as she realized that the pair of legs stopped directly in front of her, before the curtains closed off the bed from everyone's line of sight. _Oh no… This can't be happenin'…_

But it was.

"My sexiness, huh?" A pair of legs walked and stood behind the other pair, "Sure it wasn't just your lack of… _practice_?" Annie (and Sasha was more than sure it was her) struck the back of Eren's knees with her own, causing him to shout in surprise and drop to a kneeling position.

The clinking of belts and ruffling of clothes dominated the silence while the girl in hiding watched as boots, clothes, and undergarments were thrown into an unceremonious pile at the foot of the bed. She blushed crimson as Eren disrobed while remaining in a kneeling position, giving her an unobstructed view of his groin. The bed creaked as the blonde sat on the cot, her legs spread in front of the boy.

"Tell me if I'm lacking practice when I'm done with you." The boy's voice turned low and husky, filled to the brim with desire and promise of pleasure.

The sounds of wet kissing, licking, and muffled moans permeated the room, making Sasha both aroused and nervous. _It's too HOT under 'ere,_ a bead of sweat trickled from her forehead down to the floor as her own breathing increased in tempo. She watched in fascination as the appendage in front of her engorged to a larger size than it was initially, increasing her embarrassment.

Annie's mewling gradually became louder and was eventually replaced by breathless panting, "Eren…"

"Close?"

His question was answered by a prolonged moan of satisfaction, and the brunette's own hands moved to her breasts, pinching her nipples. The voyeurism made the act much more intense than usual, and she bit down on her lips to prevent any noise from coming out – it wouldn't do well to be discovered.

"So, do I need more practice?" His voice was smug and challenging.

"Don't get ahead of yourself, _Jaeger_." The flirtatious way Annie said his name sent a jolt of electricity down Sasha's back, making her twitch with surprise. "That was just a warmup, get up here and –"

Whatever the blonde wanted from the boy on his knees, the girl hiding under the bed would never know considering he pounced and cut her off midsentence. The bed creaked dangerously, making the spy feel slightly claustrophobic as her hiding spot further decreased in size.

The sounds of vigorous kissing and moans resumed, interspersed with occasional sighs and whimpers. _So they're fuckin' right on top of me huh? No question 'bout it, they're fuckin'?_ The rhythmic creaking left little doubt and the brunette accepted her fate with a scowl, _No escape, only thing left to do is… wait._

"Don't stop, ahh!" Annie's begging aroused Sasha to no end, the sound of her vulnerability a stark contrast to their previous interactions when the blonde dominated her actions.

"You're so wet," Eren whispered just loud enough for her to hear despite being under the bed, "you liking this?"

It seems the girl chose not to answer, prompting the boy to increase his physical exertions. The creaking on the bed increased two-fold and the brunette was legitimately afraid that the bed would collapse and crush her. The couple began to pant breathlessly in tandem and the blonde's whimpers became louder and louder, the sound of wet flesh slapping together added to the eroticism of the situation.

A wicked thought crossed the mind of Sasha Blaus.

As the lewd acts continued above her, one hand tentatively made its way down to her crotch, where she began to rub insistently at its most sensitive spot. The other hand kneaded her breast violently, pinching her nipple and relishing in the mixture of pain and pleasure it produced. The girl was forced to bite her lips even harder, lest her own moans of pleasure become audible and alert the couple of her presence. Eren's sudden yelp made Sasha pause, but not for long, as the creaking and sounds of pleasure continued.

The girl's question of why the boy yelped was answered by Annie's comment, "No matter what, I'll always be on top of you – sexually or otherwise."

"You sure about that?"

This time Leonhart shrieked in surprise, before a pair of legs entered the brunette's line of sight. _What's goin' on?_ The squeaking of the bed became concentrated on one side, and the brunette deduced that Eren moved to a sitting position while maintaining their copulation.

"Ah! Eren, please! Uhh!" The sound of her helplessness drove Sasha's mind crazy and her masturbation continued in earnest.

The boy suddenly stood up with a grunt, and judging from his partner's continued panting and groaning, they were now having sex in a standing position. _This pair's wild, doin' it however they please; maybe me'n Connie can try it._

"Annie, I'm-"

"Me too, k-keep going."

A few seconds after the declaration, the blonde's muffled cries of ecstasy reached her ears and brought her over the edge. Sasha's legs began twitching as the illicitness of the situation intensified her own orgasm, the _wrongness_ of her voyeurism making it feel much more gratifying. She lay limp underneath the bed, exhausted yet pleased, while Eren finally voiced his climax with a prolonged moan of satisfaction.

"M-My legs," The boy exclaimed, "g-getting weak."

With a cry of panic Eren's legs gave out and the pair collapsed on the floor; he landed on his back and rear with Annie resting on his chest, taking the brunt of the fall. The blonde's knees smacked the ground painfully and she grunted with pain, but maintained her position. The spy nearly shouted with surprise as the two appeared in full view in front of her, naked and sweaty, red from both exertion and pleasure. Her eyes bore into the brown and blonde hair at the back of their heads, and Sasha prayed to the walls that they don't turn and see her.

 _Keep facin' the other way, don' turn 'round, gimme some time to sneak out!_ With agonizing slowness, she began to crawl sideways and escape the situation.

Unfortunately for her, Annie Leonhart decided to turn her head and face her way.

Blue met brown.

Both girls could only blush furiously at the situation.

The silence was daunting and suffocating, all Sasha wanted to do was apologize, run, and forget the whole thing ever happened. Her plans were extinguished when the blonde, with surprising speed and strength, suddenly grabbed her forearm and wrenched it off her chest.

"Annie, what are you doing?"

"Don't move, Eren." The lack of emotion in the girl's voice only scared her to no end, _Is she mad? Feelin' embarrassed? Does she wanna kill me?!_

The girl under the bed yelped as she was yanked violently out of her hiding spot, before slamming into Jaeger's naked body. The boy's eyes widened as he looked at who collided with him, and was about to shout before Annie's free hand covered his mouth. His green eyes darted between the girl on top and the girl beside him, questions running rampant throughout his confused mind.

Once the blonde deemed him calm enough, she freed his mouth, "What were you doing under there?" He asked.

Sasha decided to be as honest as possible during the interrogation, "I was tryin' to steal food when I heard you two comin' in. Hid under 'ere hopin' you'd leave soon, but then… well… you know."

The couple shared a look and a short nod, _Is that a signal?! They goin' to kill me an' hide the body?!_

"Blaus-"

"Don' kill me!" She pleaded, tears in her eyes, "Listen, Connie 'as a secret place in the woods! Near the entrance, hidden by thick trees! Y-You can do things there an' what 'ave you, it's yers, please don' kill me!"

A momentary silence followed as the pair mulled over her peace offer. Another nod was shared between the two of them, and the shorter girl finally released her grip on Sasha's forearm. The fear of death slowly abated and the tall girl sobbed silently in relief, having avoided her doomed fate. The pair stood up and quickly got dressed as she took a seat on the bed, head bowed as to give them privacy – not that it mattered, having seen _everything_.

"Not a word to anyone, Blaus." Annie's threat hung in the air as she and Eren opened the curtains and walked away, the couple tentatively holding hands. She remained seated and watched their retreating forms, wondering if the relationship was even a secret at this point considering how often they're seen together.

Sasha shook her head and stood up, _Hopefully Connie'll forgive me for givin' away his spot._

X X X

Sasha was currently out in the forest late at night, perched atop a tree using a pilfered 3DMG training set. The moon exuded a calm light that illuminated the exposed parts of the woods, filling her with a calm peace as she stared at the world under her. Months have passed since the event that transpired in the infirmary, and the girl could only conclude that it made a positive impact on her life despite the initial fear she had to endure.

Her relationship with Connie moved leaps and bounds because of the courage she gained from facing (or rather grovelling from) Annie's wrath. The same courage allowed her to be herself around certain members of the 104'th; she no longer hid her accent and now felt proud of her heritage as a villager of Dauper. And best of all, with her, Connie, Annie, and Eren all on the lookout for locations to have private trysts, they had more than a dozen secret areas they rotated and used regularly.

A glint caught her eye and she saw two cloaked figures stumbling around in the dark. Her interest piqued, Sasha prepared to pull her trigger before the sound of discharging gas caught her attention, revealing it to be Connie joining her with his own gear attached. They greeted each other with a quick kiss before they both disentangled each other's harnesses.

"Saw a couple people down yonder," She said, "Think it's Annie'n Eren?"

"Nah, I think Ymir's gone from the barracks so they're in her bed."

The couple sat down side by side and relished each other's company, watching the moon with languid interest. Connie wrapped an arm around her waist, being unable to reach her shoulders, and sat in silence that was periodically broken by the rustling of leaves. Despite the peaceful setting, Sasha just couldn't forget the people she saw skulking around. Scanning the horizon, she saw them again, and one figure had the other pinned against the tree.

"Sure that ain't them?" She insisted.

"Mhmm, saw Eren go in the girls' barracks _after_ I stole this gear. No way they made it here before me."

Although the shorter boy had a compelling argument, the actions of the pair in the distance still left doubt in the brunette's mind. Dark it may be, the light of the moon illuminated the two during their aggressive physical exchange, and the silence carried their moans all the way up to the trees. Sasha gave Connie a suggestive look, causing him to smile sheepishly and scratch his cheek.

"Doesn't sound like them."

"You can tell?" The taller girl said with a playful tone.

"Right, you'd be the expert in that subject eh?" He replied, earning him a gentle slap on the knee.

"C'mon, let's not make an 'abit out of watchin' our friends gettin' spicy." She stood up and held her hand out to her paramour, who took it with a smile. They walked to another branch on the tree, bringing the unknown figures out of their sight, allowing them to return to enjoying each other's presence.

Everything felt _almost_ perfect; there was just something else Sasha Blaus needed.

"Connie, I know it's risky, us bein' up here an' all…" She proceeded to rub his leg suggestively.

"You sure you don't wanna find out who those two are? Or hunt for food?"

"Nah," The tall brunette replied as she yanked off his shirt, "I'm hungry for somethin' else.

 _ **FINI**_

* * *

Kinda feels like we're running out of interesting recruits: there's only Ymir, possibly Marco, and Mikasa (just need to refine her chapter) left. Everyone else lacks characterization to put personality into the perspective (well, not Krista/Historia but the dichotomy of her actions vs. motivations will be hard to write). Any ideas?


End file.
